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MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


FRANCOISE  ATHENA  IS  DE  ROCHECHOUART 

(Marquise  df.  Montespan) 

From  the  Engraving  by  Etienne  Picart 


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MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


BY 

H.  NOEL  WILLIAMS 

AUTHOR  OF  "MADAME  RECAMIER  AND  HER  FRIENDS" 
"MADAME  DE  POMPADODR,”  ETC. 


“La  jalousie  est  le  plus  grand  de  tous  les  maux  et  celui  qui  fait  le 
de  pitie  aux  personnes  qui  le  causent.” — La  Rochefoucauld. 


WITH  SIXTEEN  PHOTOGRAVURES 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER’S  SONS 


raoins 


1 9°3 


THE  J.  PAUL  GETTY  MUSEUM  LIBRARY 

- 


PREFACE 


Voltaire  in  his  Siecle  de  Louis  XIV.  justifies  the  space 
which  he  devotes  to  the  intrigues  of  the  Court  on  the 
ground  that  the  period  of  which  he  is  treating  possesses 
such  extraordinary  fascination  for  the  student  of  history 
that  even  the  most  trivial  details  can  hardly  fail  to  interest 
his  readers.  Voltaire’s  apology  might,  I venture  to  think, 
be  in  itself  a sufficient  one  for  the  present  volume, 
were  any  needed.  But  this  is  far  from  being  the  case. 
For  Madame  de  Montespan  was  something  more  than 
the  mistress  of  le  Grand  Monarque,  the  mother  of 
legitimated  princes  and  princesses,  the  woman  whose 
blood  flows  to-day  in  the  veins  of  half  the  Royal  Houses 
in  Europe  ; she  was  the  symbol  of  her  age,  the  spirit  of 
seventeenth-century  France  incarnate.  In  her  we  find 
almost  all  the  best  and  the  worst  characteristics  of  the 
great  epoch  in  French  history — an  epoch  which  attained 
the  furthest  extremes  in  both  good  and  evil — its  dignity 
and  splendour,  its  genuine  admiration  for  literature  and 
art,  its  exquisite  courtesy,  its  light-hearted  gaiety,  its 
brilliant  wit,  side  by  side  with  its  arrogance  and  egotism, 
its  senseless  prodigality,  its  flagrant  disregard  of  the  moral 
law,  its  gross  superstition.  In  studying  her  life  we  are 
studying  not  her  alone,  but  the  whole  society  of  which 
she  was  the  representative. 


PREFACE 


Radiant,  and  joyous,  and  “ beautiful  as  the  day,”  for 
twelve  long  years — years  which,  by  a singular  coincidence, 
are  among  the  most  splendid  in  her  country’s  annals — this 
woman  dominated  the  whole  Court  of  France,  denied 
political  influence  by  her  royal  lover,  it  is  true,  but  denied 
nothing  else,  glorying  in  her  dishonour,  contemptuously 
defying  the  devots  and  the  envious  men  and  women  who 
surrounded  her  to  wrest  the  sceptre  from  her  grasp. 
Once  indeed,  when,  for  a brief  moment,  the  eloquent 
pleading  of  Bossuet  prevailed,  she  received  orders  to  leave 
Versailles,  only  to  return,  a few  weeks  later,  more  haughty 
and  more  powerful  than  ever. 

But  power  resting  on  so  frail  a foundation  as  a monarch’s 
guilty  passions  is  seldom  permanent,  and  already  her 
empire,  undermined  by  her  own  arrogance  and  capricious- 
ness and  the  subtle  influence  of  Madame  de  Maintenon, 
was  tottering  to  its  fall,  when,  in  the  autumn  of  1680, 
the  revelation  of  her  dealings  with  the  poisoner  La  Voisin 
and  her  fiendish  associates  came  to  shatter  it  to  pieces. 

Respect  for  his  kingly  dignity  and  consideration  for  his 
children  combined  to  force  Louis  XIV.  to  preserve  the 
terrible  secret,  known  only  to  himself  and  a few  trusted 
advisers,  and,  to  avoid  the  smallest  possibility  of  its 
disclosure,  Madame  de  Montespan  remained  at  Court, 
treated  in  public  by  the  prince  against  whose  life  she  had 
conspired  as  if  she  had  done  nothing  whatever  to  forfeit 
his  esteem,  but  enduring  agonies  of  mortification,  as  she 
saw  the  power  which  had  once  been  hers  passing  slowly 
but  surely  into  the  hands  of  another.  Then,  when  the 
Queen  was  dead  and  Madame  de  Maintenon  had  reached 
the  summit  of  her  ambition,  and  it  became  evident  that, 


VI 


PREFACE 


not  content  with  supplanting  her  former  patroness  in  the 
King’s  affections,  the  pious  lady  was  determined  to  inflict 
upon  her  those  cruel  humiliations  which  Madame  de 
Montespan,  in  her  time,  had  compelled  the  gentle  La 
Valliere  to  endure,  the  fallen  favourite,  abandoning  the 
unequal  struggle,  quitted  the  Court,  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  her  days,  first,  in  vain  regrets  for  what  she 
had  lost,  afterwards,  in  a sincere  and  whole-hearted 
endeavour  to  atone  for  her  shameful  past  by  a life  of 
penance  and  good  works. 

Interesting  as  is  the  career  of  Madame  de  Montespan, 
it  is  rendered  all  the  more  so  from  the  opportunity 
which  it  affords  us  of  studying  those  of  the  two  celebrated 
women  whose  lives  were  so  closely  connected  with  hers 
— two  women  differing  as  widely  from  each  other  as  from 
Madame  de  Montespan  herself ; the  one,  perhaps  next  to 
Jeanne  d’Arc  the  most  poetic  figure  in  French  history  ; 
the  other,  in  spite  of  all  that  has  been  written  about  her, 
almost  as  much  an  enigma  to  us  to-day  as  she  was  to 
her  contemporaries. 

Under  these  circumstances,  it  is  surely  a matter  for 
surprise  that  Madame  de  Montespan  should  have  been 
practically  ignored  by  English  and  American  writers  and 
that  the  fullest  account  of  her  to  be  found  in  our  language 
should  be  that  given  by  Miss  Pardoe  in  her  “ Louis  XIV. 
and  the  Court  of  France  in  the  Seventeenth  Century,” 
written  many  years  before  M.  Ravaisson  published  the 
result  of  his  researches,  and  largely  based  on  the  mar- 
chioness’s so-called  Memoires,  then  believed  to  be  genuine, 
but  now  quite  discredited. 

In  my  endeavour  to  supply  this  deficiency  and  to  give 

vii 


PREFACE 


an  account  at  once  adequate  and  strictly  impartial  of  the 
life  of  the  most  famous  of  Louis  XIV.’s  mistresses  I 
have  traversed  a wide  field  and  been  at  pains  to  consult 
not  only  all  the  chief  contemporary  sources  of  information 
— the  Memoires  of  Madame  de  Caylus,  Mademoiselle  de 
Montpensier,  Saint-Simon,  Dangeau,  La  Fare,  Choisy,  and 
Sourches ; and  the  Letters  of  the  Princess  Palatine, 
Madame  de  Sevigne,  Madame  de  Maintenon,  and  Bussy- 
Rabutin,  in  every  case  making  due  allowance  for  the 
prejudices  of  the  writer — but  a very  large  number  of 
modern  works,  particularly  those  bearing  in  any  way  on 
the  Poison  Trials.  Where  so  many  have  been  laid  under 
contribution  it  is  somewhat  difficult  to  fairly  apportion 
one’s  gratitude,  and  I must  therefore  confine  myself  to 
acknowledging  my  indebtedness  to  M.  Pierre  Clement’s 
Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIV.  (an  admirable  work, 
the  value  of  which  is,  unfortunately,  largely  discounted  by 
the  fact  that  the  author  had  only  a partial  acquaintance 
with  the  documents  which  M.  Ravaisson  has  so  ably 
edited)  ; to  M.  Jules  Lair’s  Louise  de  La  Valliere  et  la 
jeunesse  de  Louis  XIV.  ; to  the  notes  of  M.  Lavallee  in  his 
Correspondance  generale  de  Madame  de  Maintenon ; to 
M.  Ravaisson’s  Archives  de  la  Bastille ; to  M.  Funck- 
Brentano’s  Le  Drame  des  Poisons ; to  M.  Floquet’s 
Bossuet , precepteur  du  Dauphin  et  eveque  a la  Cour ; to 
M.  Loiseleur’s  Trois  Enigmes  historiques ; and  to  Dr. 
Lucien  Nass’s  Les  Empoisonnements  de  Louis  XIV. 


viii 


London:  July  1903. 


H.  NOEL  WILLIAMS. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I 

• 

Page 

i 

ii 

yy 

iS 

yy 

in 

yy 

37 

IV 

yy 

52 

5? 

V 

yy 

66 

yy 

VI 

yy 

73 

VII 

yy 

»3 

5? 

VIII 

yy 

104 

IX 

yy 

1 1 5 

X 

yy 

124 

J? 

XI 

yy 

H5 

?? 

XII 

yy 

166 

yy 

XIII 

yy 

180 

yy 

XIV 

yy 

203 

yy 

XV 

yy 

219 

yy 

XVI 

yy 

235 

yy 

XVII 

yy 

265 

yy 

XVIII 

yy 

283 

yy 

XIX 

yy 

295 

yy 

XX 

yy 

3°9 

yy 

XXI 

• 

• 

• 

• 

yy 

327 

yy 

XXII 

. 

• 

• 

. 

. 

. 

• 

yy 

35' 

IX 


■ \ 


LIST  OF  PORTRAITS 


Framboise  Athcnai's  de  Rochechouart,  Marquise  de  Monte- 

span ,from  the  engraving  by  Etienne  Picart  Frontispiece 

Louis  XIV.,  from  an  engraving  after  the  drawing  by 

Wallerant  Vaillant  To  face  page 

Maria  Theresa,  Oueen  of  France,  from  an  engraving  after 

the  painting  by  Charles  Beaubrun  „ 

Louise  Fran^oise  de  La  Baume  Le  Blanc,  Duchesse  de  La 
Vallier t,from  the  engraving  by  Nicolas  de  L’Armessin 
pere.  „ 

Jean  Baptiste  Colbert,  Marquis  de  Seignelay,  from  an 

engraving  after  the  painting  by  Philippe  de  Champaigne  „ 

Framboise  d’Aubigne,  Marquise  de  Maintenon,  from  the 

engraving  by  Giffart  ,, 

Franchise  Athcnai's  de  Rochechouart,  Marquise  de  Monte- 
span,  from  an  engraving  after  a painting  by  an 
unknown  artist  ,, 

Anne  Marie  Louise  d’Orleans,  Duchesse  de  Montpensier, 
called  la  Grande  Mademoiselle,  from  the  engraving  by 
Nicolas  de  L’Armessin  pere  „ 

Francois  Michel  Le  Tellier,  Marquis  de  Louvois,_/rtftf7  an 

engraving  after  the  painting  by  Claude  Fefebvre  „ 


LIST  OF  PORTRAITS 


Jacques  Benigne  Bossuet  ,from  an  engravingafter  the  painting 

by  Rigaud  To  face  page  I 56 

Louis  Auguste  de  Bourbon,  Due  du  Maine,  from  an 

engraving  after  the  painting  by  Francois  de  Troy  „ 190 

Marie  Angelique  d’Escorailles  de  Roussille,  Duchesse  de 
Fontanges,  from  an  engraving  after  the  painting  by 
Mignard  ,,  226 

Fran^oise  Athenai's  de  Rochechouart, Marquise  de  Monte- 

span, /row  the  engraving  by  Pierre  Schenk  „ 268 


Louis  XW.,  from  an  engraving  after  the  painting  by  Fiter 

Fran$oise  d’Aubigne,  Marquise  de  Maintenon,  from  an 
engraving  after  the  painting  by  Mignard 

Fran^ise  Marie  de  Bourbon,  Mademoiselle  de  Blois, 
from  an  engraving  by  Nicolas  de  L’Armessin  pere 


,,  284 

„ 3 10 

„ 328 


jpi 


CHAPTER  I 


Character  of  Louis  XIV. ’s  relations  with  women — His  mis- 
tresses have  no  direct  political  influence — But  indirectly  and 
unconsciously  exercise  a great  deal — Early  love  affairs — Olympe 
Mancini  — Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte  d’Argencourt  — 
Madame  de  Beauvais— Marie  Mancini  comes  to  Court — The 
King  at  first  indifferent  to  her — But  soon  begins  to  pay  her 
great  attention— Mazarin’s  negotiations  for  a marriage  between 
Louis  XIV.  and  the  Infanta  Maria  Theresa — He  makes  over- 
tures for  the  hand  of  Marguerite  of  Savoy  to  force  Spain  to  come 
toadecision — Meetingbetween  the  Courts  ofFrance  and  Savoy 
at  Lyons — Spain  accepts  Mazarin’s  proposals — Louis  XIV. ’s 
infatuation  for  Marie  Mancini — Alarm  of  the  Queen-Mother 
and  the  Cardinal — Mazarin  determines  to  send  his  niece 
away  from  Court — Interview  between  the  King  and  the 
Cardinal — And  between  Louis  and  Anne  of  Austria— “ Sire, 
you  weep,  you  love  me,  and  yet  you  allow  me  to  go  ! ” — 

The  King  refuses  to  abandon  his  idea  of  marrying  Marie 
Mancini — Anxiety  of  Mazarin — His  letters  of  remonstrance 
to  Louis  XIV. — Interview  between  the  lovers  at  Saint-Jean 
d’Angely — Marie  Mancini  withdraws  from  the  field— Her 
marriage  with  the  Constable  Colonna  and  subsequent  adven- 
tures. 

When  Louis  XIV.  lay  dying,  he  sorrowfully  acknow- 
ledged that  he  had  been  too  fond  of  war.  He  might  also 
have  acknowledged  that  he  had  been  too  fond  of  women. 
Nevertheless,  culpable  as  they  undoubtedly  were,  and  deep 
as  is  the  stain  which  they  have  inflicted  on  his  reputation, 
the  amours  of  le  Grand  Monarque  at  all  times  present  a 


i 


A 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


certain  romantic  quality,  which  is  wholly  wanting  in  those 
of  his  contemptible  successor.  Louis  XIV.  would  have 
scorned  to  have  used  his  position  as  king  to  force  his 
attentions  upon  any  woman  whom  he  had  reason  to  believe 
was  indifferent  to  him  as  a man  ; he  desired  to  be  loved 
for  himself,  not  for  what  the  accident  of  birth  had  made 
him,  and  thus  even  his  most  evanescent  attachments  are 
redeemed  by  a touch  of  sentiment.1 

Again — and  here  the  difference  between  himself  and 
Louis  XV.  is  even  more  strongly  marked — one  must,  in 
justice  to  him,  remember  that  he  never  permitted  his 
mistresses,  whatever  influence  they  may  have  acquired 
over  his  heart,  to  have  any  over  his  government.  “ In 
abandoning  our  hearts,”  he  says  in  the  Memoires  he  wrote 
for  the  instruction  of  the  Dauphin,  “ we  must  remain 
absolute  masters  of  our  minds  ; we  must  make  a distinc- 
tion between  the  tenderness  of  a lover  and  the  resolutions 
of  a sovereign,  so  that  the  beauty  who  conduces  to  our 
pleasures  shall  not  be  at  liberty  to  speak  to  us  concerning 
our  affairs.  You  know  the  warning  I have  given  you  on 
different  occasions  about  the  influence  of  favourites  ; that 
of  a mistress  is  far  more  dangerous.”2 

On  the  whole,  Louis  XIV.  may  be  said  to  have  strictly 
adhered,  in  appearance  at  any  rate,  to  the  principle  here 
laid  down.3  Neither  Mademoiselle  de  La  Valliere,  nor 

1 “ The  late  King  (Louis  XIV.),”  wrote  his  sister-in-law,  the  Princess 
Palatine,  “ was  undoubtedly  very  gallant  ; but  his  gallantry  often 
degenerated  into  debauchery.  At  the  age  of  twenty,  all  sorts  and 
conditions  of  women  found  favour  in  his  eyes — peasant  girls,  gardeners’ 
daughters,  maid-servants,  waiting-women,  ladies  of  quality — provided 
that  they  were  able  to  make  him  believe  that  they  loved  him” 

2 Memoires  de  Louis  XIV.  pour  servir  a l' instruction  du  Dauphin 
(edit.  I 860),  ii.  3 1 5. 

3 Charles  Perrault  relates  that,  one  day,  in  the  presence  of  Le  Tellier, 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Madame  de  Montespan,  nor  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges, 
nor  any  of  the  numerous  ladies  who  for  brief  periods  held 
sway  over  the  royal  affections,  have  left  the  slightest  mark 
upon  public  affairs;  while  in  regard  to  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon — her  admirers  will  pardon  our  including  her  in  the 
same  category  for  the  sake  of  argument — it  is  now  gene- 
rally believed  that  her  influence  in  affairs  of  State  was  very 
small,  and  that  the  story  that  she  was  largely  responsible 
for  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  is  a myth. 

But,  at  the  same  time,  it  must  be  admitted  that,  if 
they  had  no  direct  political  influence,  if  they  were  power- 
less to  remove  a Minister  who  had  had  the  misfortune  to 
displease  them,  or  to  plunge  the  nation  into  a ruinous  war 
in  order  to  gratify  their  caprices,  indirectly  and  uncon- 
sciously they  exercised  a good  deal,  and  that  of  a most 
pernicious  kind.  The  naive  adoration  of  Louise  de  La 
Valliere,  no  less  than  the  calculated  flattery  of  Madame 
de  Montespan  and  her  various  rivals,  went  far  to  confirm 
Louis  XIV.  in  that  fine  conceit  of  his  kingly  dignity,  and 
to  intensify  that  ingrained  selfishness  of  character  which, 
so  long  as  the  splendour  of  his  Court  was  undiminished 
and  victory  attended  his  arms,  rendered  him  blind  to  the 
miseries  which  his  perpetual  wars  and  grinding  taxation 
were  bringing  upon  his  realm.  When,  at  length,  the  regime 

Lionne,  Villeroi,  Colbert,  and  other  favourite  Ministers  and  courtiers, 
the  King  remarked  : “ You  are  all  of  you  here  my  friends,  those  of  my 
realm  for  whom  I have  the  most  regard  and  in  whom  I place  the  most 
confidence.  I am  young,  and  women  have  generally  considerable 
influence  over  those  of  my  age.  I enjoin  you  all,  therefore,  that 
should  you  remark  that  a woman,  whoever  she  may  be,  has  acquired 
ascendency  over  me  and  is  influencing  me  in  the  smallest  degree,  to 
immediately  apprise  me  of  the  fact.  I shall  only  require  forty-eight 
hours  to  rid  myself  of  her  and  to  set  your  minds  at  rest  on  that  score.” — 
Memoires  de  Charles  Perrault , p.  38. 

3 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


of  mistresses  came  to  an  end,  all  the  monarch’s  worst  instincts 
had  been  developed  and  his  character  irrevocably  moulded. 
His  so-called  conversion  was  merely  a change  from  one 
kind  of  egotism  to  another  ; for  what  is  bigotry  but 
egotism  in  its  most  subtle  and  dangerous  form  ? 

The  first  lady  to  stir  the  young  monarch’s  pulses  was 
Cardinal  Mazarin’s  niece,  Olympe  Mancini,  the  second  of 
the  five  famous  sisters  of  that  name,1  who  made  her  first 
appearance  at  Court  in  1657.  Mademoiselle  Olympe  was 
no  beauty — none  of  Louis  XIV.’s  early  enchantresses  were 
— but  Madame  de  Motteville  remarks  that  “ she  certainly 
appeared  charming  in  the  eyes  of  the  King,  and  sufficiently 
pretty  to  indifferent  people.”  Anne  of  Austria  seems  to 
have  regarded  this  youthful  attachment  with  complaisance, 
though  the  aforementioned  chronicler  assures  us  that  she 
could  not  endure  to  hear  any  one  speak  of  the  affair  as 
one  that  might  perchance  become  legitimate.  “ The 
greatness  of  her  soul  had  a perfect  horror  of  such  abase- 
ment.” Another  queen  — the  eccentric  Christina  of 
Sweden — who  passed  through  France  at  this  time,  was  of 
a different  opinion,  and  declared  that  “ it  would  be  very 
wrong  not  to  let  two  young  people  so  admirably  suited 
to  one  another  marry  as  soon  as  possible.”  Nothing, 
however,  came  of  this  affair,  for  Louis  showed  no  inclina- 
tion to  “ abase  ” himself,  and  Olympe,  who  did  not  want  for 
shrewdness,  finding  that  she  had  no  chance  of  wearing  a 
crown,  “ instead  of  surrendering  herself  to  love,”  gave  her 
hand  to  the  Comte  de  Soissons,  by  whom  she  had,  among 
other  children,  a boy  named  Eugene,  destined  to  become 
one  of  the  most  famous  generals  of  his  age  and  a veritable 
thorn  in  the  side  of  his  mother’s  former  admirer. 

1 The  names  of  the  five  were  Laure,  Olympe,  Marie,  Hortense, 
and  Marie  Anne. 


4 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


After  the  marriage  of  Olympe  Mancini,  the  King  cast  a 
favourable  eye  upon  a certain  Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte 
d’Argencourt,  “ who  had  neither  dazzling  beauty  nor 
extraordinary  intelligence,  but  whose  whole  person  was 
agreeable.”  His  predilection  for  her  society  became  so 
very  marked  that  both  the  Queen-Mother  and  Mazarin 
became  uneasy ; and  the  former,  one  evening,  when  Louis 
had  conversed  with  the  young  lady  rather  longer  than  she 
considered  prudent,  rebuked  him  sharply  and  openly.  The 
monarch  received  the  maternal  reprimand  “ with  respect 
and  gentleness,”  but  it  would  not  appear  to  have  had  much 
effect,  for  shortly  afterwards  we  hear  of  him  speaking 
to  Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte  “ as  a man  in  love,  who 
had  thrown  virtue  to  the  winds,”  and  assuring  her  that  if 
she  would  only  return  his  affection,  he  would  defy  both 
the  Queen  and  the  Cardinal.  The  lady,  however,  from 
motives  either  of  virtue  or  policy,  declined  to  entertain 
his  proposals,  and  Anne  of  Austria,  having  pointed  out 
to  her  son  that  “ he  was  wandering  from  the  path  of 
innocence,”  the  King  was  moved  to  tears,  confessed  him- 
self in  her  oratory,  and  then  departed  for  Vincennes,  in 
the  hope  that  a change  of  scene  might  aid  him  to  subjugate 
his  passion.  He  returned,  after  a few  days’  absence,  fully 
determined  never  to  speak  to  Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte 
again  ; but,  “ not  being  yet  wholly  strengthened,”  so  far 
departed  from  his  resolution  as  to  dance  with  her  at  a ball, 
with  the  result  that  he  was  on  the  point  of  succumbing 
once  more,  when  the  Queen  and  the  Cardinal  put  an  end 
to  the  affair  by  packing  the  damsel  off  to  a convent  at 
Chaillot,  where  Madame  de  Motteville  assures  us  that 
“ she  led  a life  that  was  very  tranquil  and  very  happy.”1 
The  next  lady  to  be  honoured  by  the  monarch’s 
1 Me  moires  de  Madame  de  Motteville  (edit.  1855),  iv.  83  et  scq. 

5 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


attention  was  Madame  de  Beauvais,  first  femme-de-chambre 
to  Anne  of  Austria.  Anquetil  describes  her  as  “ a woman 
of  experience,”  and  says  that  she  laid  her  snares  for  the 
King  in  such  a way  as  to  render  escape  impossible.1  The 
Queen-Mother,  in  anger,  dismissed  her  from  her  service, 
but  soon  afterwards  reinstated  her,  as  she  found  it  impos- 
sible to  get  on  without  her.  Then  we  hear  of  galanteries 
with  the  beautiful  Duchesse  de  Chatillon,  and  “ a gardener’s 
daughter,”  and  his  rejection  at  the  hands  of  a Mademoiselle 
de  Tarneau,  “ who  had  the  wisdom  to  refuse  him  so  much 
as  an  interview,”  which  brings  us  to  what  may  be  called 
Louis  XIV. ’s  first  grande  passion , an  affair  which  was 
within  an  ace  of  having  very  serious  consequences  indeed. 

Having  duly  provided  Olympe  Mancini  with  a husband, 
Mazarin  introduced  to  Court  the  third  of  the  Mancini 
sisters,  Marie  by  name,  whom  he  withdrew  from  the 
Couvent  des  Filles-de-Saint-Marie  at  Chaillot,  in  defiance 
of  the  dying  request  of  his  sister,  Madame  Mancini,  who 
had  begged  him  earnestly  to  make  her  a nun,  “ because 
she  had  always  seemed  to  her  to  have  a bad  disposition,  and 
her  late  husband,  who  was  a great  astrologer,  had  warned 
her  that  this  daughter  would  be  the  cause  of  much  evil.”  2 

1 Louis  XIV.,  sa  Cour  et  le  Regent,  i.  9.  Saint-Simon  says  that  gossip 
credited  Madame  de  Beauvais  with  being  the  first  lady  to  prevail  over 
the  virtue  of  Louis  XIV.  He  adds  : “ I remember  her  when  she  was 
old,  blind  of  one  eye  and  scarce  able  to  see  with  the  other,  at  the 
toilette  of  the  Bavarian  Dauphiness,  where  all  the  Court  treated  her 
with  extraordinary  consideration,  because  from  time  to  time  she  went 
to  Versailles,  and  when  there  was  invariably  granted  a private  audience 
by  the  King,  who  still  cherished  a great  regard  for  her.”  In  the 
estimates  for  1677,  Madame  de  Beauvais’s  name  appears  for  a pension 
of  4000  livres,  and  in  those  for  1684  for  one  of  8000  livres,  while  in 
the  following  year  she  received  a gratification  extraordinaire  of  30,000 
livres. 

2 Memoires  dc  Madame  de  Motteville,  iv.  78. 

6 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


At  first  the  King  took  very  little  notice  of  this  damsel, 
which  is  hardly  surprising,  as  she  is  described  as  painfully 
thin  and  extremely  ugly,  with  a sallow  complexion  and 
“ a wide,  flat  mouth.”  1 She  improved  rapidly  in  this 
respect,  however,  so  much  so  that  we  find  Saint-Evremond 
— no  mean  judge,  by  the  way — speaking  of  her  as  “ a 
superbly  formed  creature.” 

In  the  spring  of  1658  it  began  to  be  remarked  that 
Louis  XIV.  was  paying  Mademoiselle  Mancini  an  unusual 
amount  of  attention,  and  the  young  lady  herself  informs 
us  in  her  Apologie 2 that  during  a visit  of  the  Court  to 
Fontainebleau  “ she  became  assured  that  she  was  not  hated 
by  the  King,  who,  though  very  young,  had  penetration 
enough  to  understand  that  eloquence  which,  without 
speaking  a syllable,  persuades  more  than  all  the  fine 
speeches  in  the  world.”  She  adds,  with  becoming  modesty, 
that  at  first  she  was  inclined  to  believe  that  she  was 
mistaken,  until  her  impressions  were  confirmed  by  the 
extraordinary  deference  paid  her  by  the  courtiers.  An 

1 Memoires  de  Madame  de  Motteville , iv.  83.  M.  Chantelauze,  in  his 
Louis  XIV.  et  Marie  Mancini,  says  that  it  is  to  Marie  Mancini’s  mouth 
that  allusion  is  intended  in  the  well-known  cantiquc,  wrongly  attributed 
to  Bussy-Rabutin,  which  was  published  in  several  surreptitious  editions 
of  his  Histoire  amoureuse  des  Gau/es  : 

“ Quem  Deodatus  est  heureux 
De  baiser  ce  bee  amoureux 
Qui  d’une  oreille  a l’autre  va  ! 

Alleluia  ! ” 

According  to  Voltaire,  this  song  was  the  true  cause  of  Bussy  being  sent 
to  the  Bastille  in  1665,  and  afterwards  banished  to  his  estates. 

2 Apologie,  ou  les  veritables  memoires  de  Madame  M.  Mancini,  Connestable 
de  Colonne , ecrits  par  elle-mtme  (Cologne,  1679).  The  authenticity  of 
this  work  was  at  one  time  disputed,  but  is  now  generally  acknow- 
ledged. 


7 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


event  of  the  highest  importance,  however,  came  at  this 
juncture  to  interrupt  what  the  writer  calls  “ her  ravishing 
prosperity.” 

For  more  than  fifteen  years  and  through  many  strange 
vicissitudes,  Mazarin  had  steadily  pursued  his  project  of 
marrying  Louis  to  the  Infanta  of  Spain.  His  object  in 
desiring  this  union  was  a twofold  one.  In  the  first  place, 
a closer  connection  between  France  and  Spain  would  leave 
the  Emperor  isolated  in  Europe  and  render  him  practically 
impotent.  In  the  second,  it  was  more  than  possible  that 
it  might,  sooner  or  later,  be  the  means  of  giving  the 
crown  of  Spain  to  the  House  of  Bourbon,  for,  as  his 
letters  to  the  French  plenipotentiaries  at  the  Congress  of 
Westphalia  indicate,  the  astute  Cardinal  had  made  up  his 
mind  so  to  frame  the  marriage  contract  that  there  would 
be  little  difficulty  in  successfully  contesting  the  validity  of 
any  renunciation  of  her  rights  on  the  part  of  the  Infanta. 

Since  1645,  when  the  Peace  of  Westphalia  was  con- 
cluded with  the  Emperor,  more  than  one  attempt  had 
been  made  to  make  peace  on  the  basis  of  another  Franco- 
Spanish  marriage ; but  as  Philip  IV.  had  no  male  issue, 
and  the  Infanta  would  have  carried  with  her  to  France 
the  right  of  succession  to  the  crown  of  Spain,  the  Court 
of  Madrid  had  hitherto  received  the  Cardinal’s  proposition 
with  marked  coldness.  Of  late,  however,  the  situation 
had  been  greatly  modified.  In  1657,  the  Queen  of  Spain 
had  given  birth  to  a son,  an  event  which  placed  two  lives 
between  the  Infanta  and  the  throne,  and  very  sensibly 
diminished  that  young  lady’s  matrimonial  value  ; while 
France  had  gained  great  advantages  in  the  field,  and  it 
was  becoming  increasingly  difficult  for  the  Spaniards,  with 
troops  disheartened  by  defeat  and  an  impoverished 
Treasury,  to  carry  on  the  struggle. 

8 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Indirect  negotiations  were  accordingly  opened  ; but  as 
the  Court  of  Madrid  showed  its  customary  vacillation, 
Mazarin  resolved  to  force  it  to  come  to  a definite  decision, 
and,  with  this  idea,  made  overtures  to  the  Duchess  of 
Savoy 1 for  the  hand  of  her  daughter,  Margaret.  These 
overtures  were  carried  so  far  that  a meeting  between  the 
two  Courts  took  place  at  Lyons  in  November  1658  ; but 
nothing  came  of  the  negotiations,  for  almost  at  the  same 
moment  as  the  Savoyards  entered  the  city  by  one  gate, 
Don  Antonio  Pimentel,  a special  envoy  from  the  King  of 
Spain,  entered  it  by  another,  bringing  an  offer  both  of 
peace  and  the  Infanta.  So  the  poor  Duchess  of  Savoy 
had  to  take  her  daughter  home  again,  carrying  with  her  a 
written  promise  that  if  a treaty  for  Louis  XIV.’s  marriage 
with  the  Infanta  were  not  concluded  by  the  following  May, 
the  young  King  would  wed  the  Princess  Margaret,  and  a 
superb  diamond  necklace  given  her  by  the  Cardinal,  by 
way  of  consolation  for  her  disappointment. 

Marie  Mancini,  who  had  already  made  up  her  mind 
that  the  crown  matrimonial  would  become  her  right  well, 
was,  of  course,  overjoyed  at  the  discomfiture  of  the  Italian 
princess,  and  while  her  uncle  and  Pimentel  were  busily 
engaged  clearing  the  way  for  a treaty  between  the  two 
belligerent  nations,  she  was  no  less  actively  employed  in 
endeavouring  to  thwart  their  plans  and  wean  the  King 
from  the  idea  of  espousing  the  Infanta.  In  this  she  was 
all  but  successful. 

After  the  return  of  the  Court  to  Paris,  Louis’s  infatua- 
tion for  the  young  lady  increased  in  a truly  alarming 
manner,  and  they  were  scarcely  ever  apart.  “ The  King 

1 Christine  of  France,  second  daughter  of  Henri  IV.  and  Marie  de 
Mcdicis.  She  married  Victor  Amadeus  I.  in  1619,  and  was  left  a 
widow  in  1637. 


9 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


never  came  into  the  Queen-Mother’s  presence  without 
Mademoiselle  Mancini,”  writes  Madame  de  Motteville. 
“ She  followed  him  everywhere,  and  whispered  in  his  ear 
in  the  presence  of  even  the  Queen  herself,  undeterred  by 
the  respect  and  decorum  which  she  owed  her.”  1 

Although,  as  we  have  mentioned,  the  enterprising  Marie 
had  few  pretensions  to  beauty,  her  ready  wit  and  the 
charm  of  her  conversation  more  than  atoned  for  her  lack 
of  physical  attractions.  She  would  appear  to  have  been 
extraordinarily  well-read  for  a girl  of  her  years,  possessing 
a most  intimate  knowledge  of  Italian  literature,  especially 
of  poetry,  and  being  in  the  habit  of  discussing  history, 
politics,  and  philosophy  with  Lionne,  La  Rochefoucauld 
and  Saint-Evremond.  “ There  is  nothing  that  she  does 
not  know  ; there  is  no  book  worth  reading  that  she  has 
not  read,”  cried  one  of  her  enthusiastic  admirers. 

The  young  monarch,  though  very  deeply  in  love,  did 
not  at  first  evince  any  desire  to  gratify  Mademoiselle 
Mancini’s  ambition  ; but  when  he  found  that  his  ina- 
morata was  “ either  too  proud  or  too  shrewd  ” to  accept 
a less  exalted  post,  he  determined  that  she  should  share 
his  throne. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  progress  of  this  affair  was  causing 
the  utmost  disquietude  to  the  Queen-Mother  and  Mazarin, 
all  the  more  so  as  the  preliminaries  of  peace  had  been 
concluded  at  the  beginning  of  June  1659,  and  the  Cardinal 
was  on  the  point  of  setting  out  for  Saint-Jean  de  Luz  to 
meet  the  Spanish  Prime  Minister,  Don  Luis  de  Haro,  and 
settle  the  terms  of  the  definitive  treaty.  The  position 
was,  indeed,  a most  critical  one,  for  if  Louis  were  to  carry 
his  infatuation  so  far  as  to  decline  to  marry  the  Infanta, 
all  the  schemes  which  Mazarin  had  so  carefully  built  up 

1 Memoires  de  Madame  de  Motteville , iv.  143. 

10 


- 

' 


LOUIS  XIV. 


From  an  Engraving  after  the  Drawing  by  Wallerant  Vaillant 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


would  collapse  like  a house  of  cards.  After  vainly  remon- 
strating with  his  niece,  the  Cardinal  decided  to  exercise 
his  avuncular  authority,  and,  a few  days  before  he  started 
for  the  South,  took  the  precaution  of  sending  her  with 
her  sisters,  Hortense  and  Marie  Anne,  to  the  citadel  of 
Brouage,  near  La  Rochelle,  in  charge  of  their  gouvernante , 
Madame  de  Venel. 

The  King,  however,  was  not  minded  to  renounce  his 
lady-love  without  an  effort.  He  sent  for  the  Cardinal 
and  boldly  demanded  his  niece  in  marriage.  Mazarin 
replied  that  he  could  not  take  advantage  of  the  honour 
which  his  Majesty  wished  to  do  him  in  a moment  of 
violent  passion  ; that  he  had  been  chosen  by  the  late  King, 
and  since  by  the  Queen,  to  assist  him  with  his  counsel, 
and  that  having  up  to  that  time  served  him  with  inviolable 
fidelity,  he  would  not  now  abuse  their  confidence  ; that  he 
was  master  of  his  niece,  and  “ would  stab  her  to  the  heart 
rather  than  elevate  her  by  so  base  an  act  of  treachery.” 
Louis,  it  is  said,  went  down  on  his  knees  in  a last 
endeavour  to  melt  the  Minister’s  heart,  but  Mazarin 
remained  inflexible. 

Finding  that  there  was  nothing  to  be  hoped  for  in  this 
quarter,  the  King  appealed  to  Anne  of  Austria,  and,  the 
evening  before  the  day  fixed  for  Mademoiselle  Marie’s 
departure,  had  a touching  interview  with  his  mother, 
which  lasted  an  hour,  and  from  which  his  Majesty 
emerged  with  eyes  red  with  weeping.  The  Queen  had 
proved  as  obdurate  as  the  Cardinal,  and  had  at  length 
succeeded  in  inducing  her  son  to  sacrifice  his  inclinations 
on  the  altar  of  duty. 

The  separation  between  the  lovers,  which  took  place  the 
following  morning,  must  have  been  exceedingly  affecting. 
The  King,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  insisted  on  accompanying 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


the  young  lady  to  her  coach,  and  it  was  then  that 
Marie  addressed  to  him  those  words  of  tender  reproach  : 
“ Sire,  you  weep,  you  love  me,  and  yet  you  allow  me  to 
go!”1 

Three  days  later,  Mazarin  set  out  on  his  journey  to  the 
frontier,  in  a state  of  mind  far  from  enviable,  for  Louis, 
ignoring  the  promise  he  had  given  the  Queen-Mother, 
had  refused  to  abandon  his  idea  of  marrying  the  Cardinal’s 
niece,  and  had  declared  that  nothing  would  induce  him  to 
wed  the  Infanta.  The  Minister,  therefore,  had  a double 
task  before  him — on  the  one  hand,  to  induce  the  Spanish 
plenipotentiaries  to  agree  to  the  conditions  he  desired  to 
impose,  and,  on  the  other,  to  bring  his  headstrong  young 
master  to  reason.  He  was,  moreover,  in  hourly  dread 
lest  the  story  of  Louis’s  infatuation  should  reach  Madrid, 
in  which  case  it  was  quite  probable  that  the  negotiations 
would  be  promptly  broken  oft. 

In  the  hope  of  inducing  the  King  to  conquer  his  passion, 
the  Cardinal  kept  up  an  active  and  voluminous  corre- 
spondence with  him. 

Cardinal  Mazarin  to  Louis  XIV. 

“Cadillac,  July  16,  1659. 

“ Letters  from  Paris,  Flanders,  and  elsewhere  advise 
me  that  you  cannot  be  known  to  be  the  same  person  since 
my  departure,  and  that  not  because  of  me,  but  on  account 
of  some  one  that  belongs  to  me  ; that  you  have  entered 
into  engagements  which  will  hinder  you  from  giving  peace 

1 The  above  is  the  version  of  the  speech  which  the  lady  herself  gives 
in  her  Apologie  ; but  there  are  several  other  renderings — e.g.  “You 
weep  and  you  are  master  ! ” (Me  moires  de  Madame  de  Motteville).  “You 
love  me,  Sire,  you  weep,  you  are  in  despair,  you  are  King,  and  yet  I 
go  ! ” (Bussy-Rabutin’s  Histoire  amoureuse  des  Gau/es). 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


to  Christendom  and  rendering  your  State  and  subjects 
happy  by  your  marriage  ; and  that  if,  to  avoid  so  great  a 
calamity,  you  pass  on  to  make  it,  the  person  you  espouse 
will  be  most  miserable,  and  that  through  no  fault  of  her 
own. 

“ . . . It  is  said  that  you  are  always  shut  up  to  write 
to  the  person  you  love,  and  that  you  spend  in  this  occupa- 
tion more  time  than  you  did  in  conversing  with  her  while 
she  was  at  Court.  It  is  further  said  that  I approve  of  this 
and  connive  at  it,  in  order  to  satisfy  my  ambition  and 
hinder  the  peace. 

“ It  is  said  that  you  are  at  variance  with  the  Queen, 
and  even  those  who  write  in  the  mildest  terms  say  that 
you  avoid  her  as  much  as  possible.  I find,  moreover, 
that  the  consent  I gave,  at  your  urgent  request,  to  an 
occasional  interchange  of  news  between  yourself  and  this 
person  (Marie  Mancini)  has  led  to  a continual  commerce 
of  long  letters  ; that,  in  fact,  you  write  to  her  every  day 
and  receive  a reply,  so  that  the  courier  is  charged  with  as 
many  letters  as  there  are  days,  which  cannot  be  without 
scandal,  nor  even  without  injury  to  this  person’s  reputation 
and  mine.  . . . 

“ God  has  established  Kings  (after  matters  which  concern 
religion,  for  the  maintenance  of  which  they  ought  to  use 
every  possible  endeavour)  to  watch  over  the  welfare, 
repose,  and  security  of  their  subjects,  and  not  to  sacrifice 
them  to  their  private  passions,  and  when  such  unhappy 
princes  have  appeared,  they  have  commonly  been  forsaken 
by  the  divine  Providence,  and  histories  are  full  of  the 
revolutions  and  miseries  they  have  drawn  down  on  their 
persons  and  States.  And,  therefore,  I solemnly  warn  you 
not  to  hesitate  any  longer,  for  though,  in  a certain  sense, 
you  are  the  master  to  do  as  you  please,  yet  must  you  give 

13 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


an  account  of  your  actions  to  God  for  the  saving  of  your 
soul,  and  to  the  world  for  the  saving  of  your  credit  and 
reputation. 

“ I conclude  all  this  discourse  by  declaring  to  you  that 
if  I find  not  by  the  answer  which  I conjure  you  to  send  me 
with  all  speed  that  there  is  reason  to  hope  that  you  will 
choose  the  path  that  is  necessary  for  your  own  welfare,  for 
your  honour,  and  for  the  preservation  of  your  Kingdom, 
1 have  no  other  course  open  to  me  but  to  remit  into  your 
hands  all  the  benefits  which  it  has  pleased  the  late  King, 
yourself,  and  the  Queen  to  heap  upon  me,  and  to  embark 
with  all  my  family  to  go  and  pass  the  remainder  of  my 
days  in  some  corner  of  Italy,  and  pray  to  God  that  this 
last  remedy  may  produce  the  cure  which  I desire  above  all 
else,  being  able  to  say,  without  exaggeration  and  without 
using  the  term  of  submission  and  respect  I owe,  that  there 
is  no  tenderness  comparable  to  that  which  I have  for  you, 
and  that  it  will  be  impossible  for  me  to  prevent  myself 
dying  of  grief  should  I see  you  do  anything  which  may 
blacken  your  reputation  and  expose  your  person  and 
State.  . . . 

“ I believe  you  know  me  well  enough  to  credit  that 
what  I write  comes  from  the  depths  of  my  heart,  and  that 
nothing  can  alter  the  resolution  of  which  I have  spoken 
save  an  assurance  from  you  that  you  will  henceforth  begin 
a new  course  and  master  the  passions  to  which  you  are  at 
present  enslaved.”  1 

The  Cardinal’s  appeal  to  the  young  King’s  sense  of 


1 Lettres  du  Cardinal  Mazarin  on  I'on  voit  Le  Secret  de  la  Negotiation 
de  la  Paix  des  Pirenees,  &c.  (A  Amsterdam  : Chez  Andre  Pierrot  : 
1690),  p.  16  ct  seq.  Copies  of  the  original  letters  are  preserved  in  the 
Bibliotheque  Mazarine  : Lettres  manuscrites  de  Mazarin , vol.  iii. 

H 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


duty  was,  however,  only  partially  successful.  Louis  pro- 
fessed his  willingness  to  marry  the  Infanta,  but  obstin- 
ately refused  to  break  off  his  connection  with  Marie 
Mancini,  and  when  in  August  the  Court  set  out  for 
Bordeaux — the  wedding  ceremony  was  to  take  place  at 
Saint-Jean  de  Luz — announced  his  intention  of  going  to 
Brouage  to  pay  the  young  lady  a visit.  In  great  alarm, 
Mazarin  wrote  to  the  Queen-Mother,  imploring  her  “ in 
the  name  of  God  to  do  everything  possible  to  prevent  this 
meeting  ” ; but,  finding  that  Louis  had  set  his  heart  on 
seeing  his  lady-love,  eventually  consented  that  Madame 
de  Venel,  his  niece’s  gouvernante,  should  bring  her  charge 
as  far  as  Saint-Jean  d’Angely.  The  interview,  according 
to  Madame  de  Motteville,  was  full  of  feeling,  and  tears 
were  shed  on  both  sides.  Nevertheless,  the  King  con- 
tinued his  journey,  and  Marie  returned  to  her  place  of 
exile. 

The  romance  continued  for  some  little  time  longer, 
Louis  inditing  “not  letters, but  volumes”  to  his  enchantress, 
while  the  Cardinal  wrote  equally  voluminous  epistles  of 
remonstrance,  in  one  of  which  he  assured  his  Majesty  that 
“ this  person  had  a thousand  faults  and  not  a single  good 
quality  to  render  her  worthy  of  the  honour  of  his  kindness.” 
To  which  the  King  sent  so  curt  an  answer  that  Mazarin  felt 
compelled  to  implore  his  forgiveness,  and  wrote  a most 
piteous  letter  to  the  Queen-Mother,  begging  her  to  make 
intercession  for  him  with  her  son. 

At  length,  to  the  inexpressible  relief  of  the  poor 
Cardinal,  the  affair  was  broken  off,  not  by  Louis,  but  by 
the  lady  herself,  who,  having  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  negotiations  for  the  Spanish  marriage  had  gone  too 
far  for  her  lover  to  draw  back,  wrote  to  her  uncle  to 
inform  him  that  she  had  decided  to  follow  his  counsel  and 


iS 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


cease  all  communication  with  the  King.  Louis  at  first 
appears  to  have  been  deeply  mortified  by  the  damsel’s 
conduct,  but,  in  his  calmer  moments,  had  the  good  sense 
to  own  that  Mazarin  in  thwarting  his  passion  had  acted 
with  courage  and  discretion. 

As  for  Marie  Mancini,  she  was  persuaded  by  her  uncle, 
who  was  naturally  of  opinion  that,  after  what  had  occurred, 
it  would  be  dangerous  to  allow  her  to  remain  in  France, 
to  accept  the  hand  of  a wealthy  Italian  noble,  the  Constable 
Colonna,  Prince  of  Palliano.  This  union  proved  anything 
but  a happy  one.  Colonna  became  jealous  of  his  wife, 
and  the  wife  wearied  of  Colonna.  One  day,  Marie  and 
her  sister,  Hortense,  who  had  fled  from  her  husband,  the 
Due  de  Mazarin,1  and  taken  refuge  at  Naples,  disguised 
themselves  as  men  and  made  their  way  to  Civita  Vecchia, 
where  they  embarked  in  a felucca  bound  for  France  ; and, 
after  an  adventurous  voyage,  in  which  they  narrowly 
escaped  being  captured,  first,  by  a galley  which  the  enraged 
Constable  had  sent  in  pursuit  of  them  and,  afterwards,  by 
a Turkish  corsair,  landed  at  Marseilles.  The  younger 
sister,  hearing  that  some  emissaries  of  the  Due  de  Mazarin 

1 Armand  Charles,  Marquis  de  Meilleraye,  who,  on  his  marriage,  was 
created  Due  de  Mazarin.  “ He  was  affected  with  a species  of  religious 
insanity,  which  showed  itself,  among  other  ways,  in  a modesty  of 
unusual  rigour.  The  great  collection  of  statuary  and  paintings  of which 
he  had  become  the  owner  (on  the  death  of  the  Cardinal)  shocked  his 
views,  and,  armed  with  a hammer,  he  went  through  the  galleries, 
demolishing  the  statues  that  offended  him  by  an  improper  nudity, 
while  Titians  and  Correggios  were  smeared  over,  wherever  the  dress,  or 
the  Magdalens,  which  the  masters  had  painted,  were  not  such  as  would 
be  appropriate  at  a prayer-meeting.  Colbert  succeeded  in  checking  this 
destruction,  but  the  collection  suffered  severely  from  the  piety  of  its 
owner.  ...  A taste  for  lawsuits  was  another  of  his  peculiarities.  He 
was  said  to  have  had  three  hundred  and  to  have  lost  almost  all.” — 
Perkins’s  “ France  under  Mazarin,”  ii.  354. 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


were  on  their  way  to  intercept  her,  went  to  Savoy,  whence 
she  proceeded  to  England  and  became  the  mistress  of 
Charles  II.,  who,  in  the  days  of  his  exile,  had  vainly  sought 
her  hand  in  marriage.  Marie  set  out  for  Fontainebleau  ; 
but  the  King  was  with  the  army  in  Flanders,  and  the 
Queen,  who  acted  as  regent  in  his  absence,  hearing  of  the 
approach  of  her  former  rival,  sent  an  officer  to  meet  her 
with  a lettre  de  cachet , in  virtue  of  which  she  was  carried 
off  to  the  Abbey  of  Lys,  and  later  to  one  at  Avency. 
When  Louis  was  informed  of  what  had  been  done,  he 
remarked,  “Very  good.” 

After  a short  detention,  the  princess  was  released  and 
allowed  to  proceed  to  Turin.  Here  she  remained  awhile 
and  then  made  an  attempt  to  re-enter  France,  only  to  be 
stopped  at  the  frontier  and  sent  back  to  Savoy.  She 
subsequently  fell  into  the  hands  of  her  husband  and  spent 
the  next  ten  years  as  a prisoner  in  various  convents  in 
Flanders  and  Spain,  for  though  she  on  several  occasions 
contrived  to  make  her  escape,  she  was  invariably  recaptured. 
At  length,  the  Constable  died,  and  in  1684  Marie  was 
granted  permission  to  return  to  the  French  Court,  where, 
to  her  intense  mortification,  she  found  herself  completely 
forgotten.  She  appears  to  have  lived  for  some  time  in 
retirement  at  Passy;  but  little  is  known  of  her  later  years, 
and  even  the  date  and  place  of  her  death  are  uncertain. 


‘7 


B 


CHAjPTER  II 


Marriage  of  Louis  XIV.  and  the  Infanta — A question  of 
etiquette — State  entry  of  the  bridal  pair  into  Paris — Personal 
appearance  and  character  of  the  Queen— Marriage  of  Monsieur 
and  Henriettaof  England — Charms  of  thisprincess — Attentions 
paid  her  by  the  King — Jealousy  of  the  Queen  and  Monsieur 
— The  King,  at  Madame' s suggestion,  simulates  a devotion  for 
Louise  de  La  Valliere — And  falls  in  love  with  her — Amiable 
c haracter  of  Mademoiselle  de  La  Valliere — Her  disinterestedness 
— She  becomes  the  mistress  of  the  King — Vain  remonstrances 
of  the  Queen-Mother — Remorse  of  La  Valliere — Her  flight 
to  the  convent  at  Chaillot — The  King  goes  to  the  convent 
and  brings  her  back — The  Comtesse  de  Soissons,  the  Marquis 
de  Vardes,  and  the  Comte  de  Guiche  intrigue  against  La 
Valliere — The  Spanish  letter — The  Comtesse  de  Soissons 
persuades  Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte-Houdancourt  to  enter 
the  lists  against  the  favourite — The  King  succumbs  to  her 
fascinations— And  exiles  his  rival  the  Chevalier  de  Gramont 
— Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte  demands  the  dismissal  of  La 
Valliere  as  the  price  of  her  surrender — The  King  is  un- 
deceived by  the  Queen-Mother — Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte 
dismissed  from  Court — Punishment  of  the  Comtesse  de 
Soissons  and  her  confederates — La  Valliere  maitresse  declaree 
— Louis  XIV.  creates  her  a duchess  and  legitimates  her 
daughter. 

His  ambitious  niece  having  at  length  had  the  good  taste 
to  retire  from  the  field,  Mazarin  pushed  on  the  negotia- 
tions for  the  marriage  with  all  possible  expedition. 
Owing,  however,  to  the  feeble  health  of  the  King  of  Spain, 

18 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


which  rendered  a journey  to  the  frontier  so  late  in  the 
year  out  of  the  question,  it  was  found  necessary  to 
postpone  the  nuptials  till  the  following  April  ; and,  as 
a matter  of  fact,  it  was  not  until  June  3 that  Philip  IV., 
who  deemed  it  indispensable  to  his  own  and  his  daughter’s 
dignity  to  travel  with  a retinue  which  extended  for  six 
leagues  and  required  nearly  four  thousand  sumpter-horses 
and  mules  to  transport  their  baggage,  arrived  at  Font- 
arabia,  where  the  Infanta,  having  formally  renounced  all 
rights  of  succession  to  the  Spanish  throne,  was  married 
by  procuration,  Don  Luis  de  Haro  acting  as  proxy  for 
Louis  XIV. 

Three  days  later,  the  two  Kings  met  at  the  lie  des 
Faisans,1  and,  kneeling  side  by  side,  with  a copy  of  the 
Gospels  between  them,  solemnly  swore  to  observe  the 
Treaty  of  the  Pyrenees,  after  which  Maria  Theresa  was 
formally  handed  over  to  her  husband,  and  on  June  9 the 
second  marriage  took  place  at  Saint-Jean  de  Luz  with 
great  pomp. 

Between  the  house  occupied  by  the  Queen-Mother  and 
the  church  of  Saint-Jean  a gallery  had  been  erected,  a 
little  higher  than  the  street,  and  along  this  the  royal  party 
made  their  way,  preceded  by  Mazarin,  in  full  canonicals, 
the  Prince  de  Conti,  and  a number  of  gentlemen  bearing 
blue  wands  covered  with  fleurs-de-lis.  The  King  was 
quietly  dressed  in  black  and  wore  no  jewels,  but  the  Queen, 
who  was  conducted  to  the  altar  by  Monsieur ,2  Louis  XIV. ’s 

1 The  lie  des  Faisans  is  an  islet  formed  by  the  Bidassoa,  about  a 
league  from  Fontarabia.  It  was  here  that  the  conferences  between 
Mazarin  and  Don  Luis  de  Haro  had  been  held. 

2 The  eldest  brother  of  the  King  of  France  was  officially  styled 
Monsieur ; his  wife,  Madame , and  their  eldest  daughter,  Mademoiselle. 
According  to  Saint-Simon,  Gaston  d’Orleans,  brother  of  Louis  XIII., 
was  the  first  to  regularly  bear  this  title. 

•9 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


brother,  was  resplendent  in  the  royal  robes,  and  wore  the 
royal  crown,  entirely  composed  of  diamonds.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  ceremony,  which  was  performed  by  the 
Bishop  of  Bayonne,  medals  of  gold  and  silver,  bearing  the 
portraits  of  the  King  and  Queen,  were  distributed  among 
the  people. 

It  is  sad  to  have  to  relate  that  the  harmony  of  the  day 
was  somewhat  marred  by  a violent  dispute  between  the 
princesses  of  the  blood  and  the  Princess  Palatine,1  whose 
pretensions  were  supported  by  the  Queen-Mother  and 
Monsieur , as  to  whether  the  latter  was  entitled  to  appear 
at  the  ceremony  with  a train  to  her  dress.  Since  neither 
party  would  yield,  it  was  eventually  decided  to  refer  the 
momentous  question  to  the  King,  who,  after  a long  con- 
sultation with  the  grand  master  of  the  ceremonies,  gravely 
announced  that  no  precedent  could  be  found  for  according 
so  great  a privilege  to  a foreign  princess,  and  that,  there- 
fore, the  Princess  Palatine  must  remove  her  train,  which, 
confident  of  victory,  she  had  already  donned.  When  the 
Queen-Mother  proceeded  to  acquaint  her  friend  with  the 
royal  decision,  the  lady  “ gave  way  to  the  most  passionate 
grief,”  and  declined  to  attend  the  wedding  at  all. 

A few  days  after  the  marriage,  the  Court  set  out  for 
Fontainebleau,  and  on  August  2 6,  the  ceremony  having 
been  postponed  until  that  date  to  allow  of  fitting  prepara- 
tions being  made  for  their  receptions,  their  Majesties  made 
their  famous  state  entry  into  Paris  by  way  of  the  Porte 
Saint-Antoine. 

1 Anne  de  Gonzague,  second  daughter  of  Charles  de  Gonzague,  Due 
de  Nevers,  and  wife  of  Prince  Edward  of  Bavaria,  “ Count  Palatine,” 
fourth  son  of  Frederick  V.,  Elector  Palatine.  She  must  not  be  con- 
fused with  her  niece,  Charlotte  Elizabeth,  Princess  Palatine,  the  second 

wife  of  Monsieur. 


20 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Nearly  all  the  chief  contemporary  chroniclers  have  left 
detailed  and  glowing  accounts  of  this  magnificent  pageant, 
but  perhaps  the  most  interesting,  having  regard  to  the 
personality  of  the  writer,  is  that  given  by  Madame  Scarron, 
the  future  wife  of  le  Grand  Monarque , in  a letter  to  her 
friend,  Madame  de  Villarceaux. 


Madame  Scarron  to  Madame  de  Villarceaux. 

“ August  27,  1660. 

“ I shall  not  attempt  to  give  you  an  account  of  the 
King’s  entry.  I shall  merely  say  that  neither  I nor  any  one 
else  could  give  you  an  idea  of  its  magnificence.  I do  not 
think  that  it  would  be  possible  to  see  anything  finer,  and 
the  Queen  must  have  gone  to  bed  last  night  sufficiently 
pleased  with  the  husband  of  her  choice.  If  any  accounts 
are  printed,  I will  send  them  to  you  to-day  ; but  I myself 
can  relate  nothing  in  order,  as  I find  it  very  difficult  to 
unravel  all  that  I saw  yesterday,  during  ten  or  twelve 
hours. 

“The  Household  of  Cardinal  Mazarin  was  not  the  least 
gorgeous  part  of  the  procession.  It  was  headed  by 
seventy-two  baggage-mules  ; the  first  twenty-four  with 
trappings  simple  enough  ; the  next  twenty-four  with 
trappings  finer,  richer,  and  more  splendid  than  the  hand- 
somest tapestries  that  you  ever  saw,  and  silver  bits  and 
bells  ; in  short,  a magnificent  sight  which  evoked  general 
admiration.  Afterwards  twenty-four  pages  went  by, 
followed  by  all  the  gentlemen  and  officers  of  his  Plouse- 
hold,  a very  large  number.  Next  came  twelve  carriages, 
each  drawn  by  six  horses,  and  then  his  guards.  His 
Household  took  an  hour  to  pass  by.  Afterwards  came 
that  of  Monsieur.  I forgot,  in  speaking  of  the  Cardinal’s, 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


to  mention  twenty-four  horses  splendidly  caparisoned  and 
themselves  so  beautiful  that  I could  not  take  my  eyes  off 
them.  Monsieur's  Household  appeared  after  this  very 
mean.  Then  came  the  King’s,  truly  royal,  for  nothing  in 
the  world  could  have  been  more  splendid.  You  know 
better  than  myself  of  what  it  is  composed,  but  you  cannot 
imagine  the  beauty  of  the  horses  on  which  the  pages  of  the 
royal  stables  rode  ; they  came  prancing  along,  and  were 
handled  most  dexterously.  Then  came  the  Musketeers, 
distinguished  by  their  different  plumes  ; the  first  brigade 
wore  white ; the  second,  yellow,  black,  and  white;  the  third, 
blue  and  white  ; and  the  fourth,  green  and  white.  After 
this  came  pages-in-waiting,  with  flame-coloured  surtouts 
covered  all  over  with  gold.  Then  M.  de  Navailles,  at  the 
head  of  the  light  cavalry — all  this  magnificent ; next 
Vardes,1  at  the  head  of  the  Hundred  Swiss  ; he  wore  a 
uniform  of  green  and  gold  and  looked  very  well. 

“ Then  . . . No,  I think  that  the  gentlemen  of  quality 
followed  the  light  cavalry ; there  were  a great  many  of 
them  ; all  so  magnificent  that  it  would  be  difficult  to 
select  any  one  in  particular.  I looked  out  for  my  friends. 
Beuvron  passed,  one  of  the  first,  with  M.  de  Saint-Luc. 
I looked  for  M.  de  Villarceaux,2  but  he  rode  such  a 
restive  horse  that  he  was  twenty  paces  past  me  before  I re- 
cognised him.  I thought  him  admirable  ; he  was  one  of  the 
least  richly  dressed,  but  one  of  the  most  handsome,  while 
he  was  mounted  on  a superb  horse  which  he  managed 

1 Francois  Rene  du  Bec-Crespin,  Marquis  de  Vardes,  son  of 
Henri  IV. ’s  mistress,  the  Comtesse  de  Moret,  who  married  en  secondes 
noces  the  Marquis  de  Vardes.  He  was  a consummate  courtier,  and  like- 
wise a consummate  scoundrel.  See  p.  30  et  seq. 

2 Louis  de  Mornay,  Marquis  de  Villarceaux.  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon’s  references  to  him  are  interesting,  as  he  was  believed  by  not  a 
few  to  be  her  lover.  See  p.  86  and  note. 

ZZ 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


perfectly.  His  brown  locks  looked  beautiful,  also,  and 
people  cried  out  in  admiration  as  he  rode  by.  The  Comte 
de  Guiche  1 rode  all  alone,  covered  with  embroidery  and 
precious  stones,  which  sparkled  delightfully  in  the  sun. 
He  was  surrounded  by  servants  in  rich  liveries  and 
followed  by  some  officers  of  the  Guards. 

“The  Marechals  de  France  preceded  the  King,  before 
whom  they  bore  a brocaded  canopy.2  . . . Next  came  the 
Chancellor,  wearing  a robe  and  a mantle  of  gold  brocade, 
surrounded  by  lackeys  and  pages  in  violet  satin,  bedizened 

1 Armand  de  Gramont,  younger  son  of  Antoine  II.,  Due  de  Gramont, 
and  brother  of  Philibert  de  Gramont,  the  hero  of  Count  Hamilton’s 
M'emoires.  See  p.  30  et  seq. 

2 Four  pages  of  manuscript  are  missing  here,  the  greater  portion  of 
which  is  presumably  devoted  to  a description  of  the  magnificence  of  the 
King  and  Oueen.  We  will  endeavour  to  supply  the  omission  from  the 
Gazette  de  France  of  September  3,  1660. 

“The  King  was  attired  in  a suit  of  silver  brocade  covered  with  pearls 
and  adorned  with  a marvellous  number  of  carnation-coloured  and  silver 
ribbons,  with  a superb  plume  of  carnation-coloured  and  white  feathers 
clasped  by  a cluster  of  diamonds  ; his  belt  and  sword  were  of  the  richest 
workmanship.  He  was  mounted  on  a splendid  Spanish  horse,  a dark 
bay,  with  its  trappings  of  silver  brocade  and  its  harness  sown  with 
precious  stones. 

“The  Queen’s  pages-in-waiting,  in  superb  liveries,  followed.  Then 
came  the  caliche  of  her  Majesty,  which  might  be  more  fittingly  described 
as  a triumphal  car.  It  was  covered,  inside  and  out,  with  gold-wire 
embroidery,  an  entirely  new  invention,  on  a silver  ground,  the  outside, 
both  front  and  back,  adorned  with  festoons  in  relief,  all  embroidered  with 
gold  and  silver  wire.  The  canopy,  likewise,  was  embroidered,  both 
inside  and  out,  with  the  same  kind  of  embroidery,  and  was  supported 
by  two  columns  encircled  with  jasmine  and  olive  blossoms,  symbolical 
of  Love  and  Peace.  All  that  part  of  the  caliche  which  is  usually  made 
of  iron  was  of  silver-gilt,  and  even  the  wheels  were  gilded. 

“This  marvellous  car  was  drawn  by  six  pearl-coloured  Danish  horses, 
whose  manes  and  tails  reached  to  the  ground,  caparisoned  and  covered 
with  trappings  of  the  same  embroidery,  and  all  of  them  of  such  rare 

23 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


with  silver  and  covered  with  feathers.  In  fact,  Madame,  it 
would  be  impossible  to  witness  a more  imposing  spectacle.” 1 

The  Queen,  who,  according  to  the  Gazette  de  France , 
required  no  Crown  jewels  to  lend  eclat  to  her  charms,  and 
whose  beauty  Madame  de  Motteville  assures  us  was  such 
that  it  triumphed  over  her  unsightly  Spanish  gowns — “ an 
infallible  mark  of  its  greatness  ” — was  really  a very 
ordinary-looking  young  woman  indeed,  with  fine  blue 
eyes  and  an  abundance  of  fair  hair,  but  with  a diminutive 
figure,  heavy  features,  a dull  white  complexion,  and  bad 
teeth.  Moreover,  though  of  a virtuous  and  kindly  dispo- 
sition and  devotedly  attached  to  her  husband,  she  entirely 
lacked  the  faculty  of  pleasing,  and  was  ignorant  and 
bigoted  to  the  last  degree.  Reared  in  the  most  cramping 
conditions  of  Spanish  etiquette,  her  every  word  and  action 
were  governed  by  the  most  punctilious  regard  for  cere- 
monial, while  her  timidity  was  so  great  that  she  was  ill  at 
ease  in  the  company  of  any  but  her  immediate  attendants 
and  the  Queen-Mother,  and  positively  trembled  in  the 
presence  of  the  King.  Under  these  circumstances,  it  is 
scarcely  a matter  for  surprise  that  Louis,  unable  to  derive 
any  pleasure  from  her  society,  should  have  sought  amuse- 
ment and  distraction  elsewhere.  Nor  had  he  long  to  seek 
in  vain. 

At  the  end  of  March  1 6 6 1 , Monsieur  (the  Due  d’Orleans) 

beauty  that  no  painter  could  possibly  hope  to  do  them  justice,  and  all 
that  one  can  say  is  that  they  were  chefs-d'  oeuvre  of  Nature,  made 
expressly  to  take  part  in  this  pageant. 

“ The  princess  [the  Queen]  was  attired  in  a robe  on  which  gold, 
pearls,  and  precious  stones  made  up  a brilliant  and  imposing  combination, 
while  her  coiffure  was  resplendent  with  the  Crown  jewels,  which,  how- 
ever, lent  far  less  eclat  to  her  appearance  than  her  own  charms.” 

1 Correspondence  genera/e  de  Madame  de  Maintenon,  i.  71. 

H 


hxL'A'A  ,iHT  A i >f  i M 

; 1’XA  l\  >1  4 so  ! 

- !H  J / A'l  ■ ' \h*h  'J  'f  ^ _ ■ • 


'■  ‘V  ' 


MARIA  THERESA 

(Oueen  of  France) 

From  an  Engraving  after  the  Painting  by  Charles  Beaubrun 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


the  King’s  brother,  had  married  Henrietta,  daughter  of 
Charles  I.,  who  had  been  brought  to  France  when  a child 
by  the  faithful  Lady  Dalkeith  and,  with  the  exception  of 
a short  visit  to  England  at  the  time  of  the  Restoration, 
had  resided  there  ever  since,  with  her  widowed  mother, 
Queen  Henrietta-Maria.  This  beautiful  and  ill-fated 
princess,  whose  life  and  death  have  been  immortalised  by 
Bossuet  in  his  famous  oration,  was  now  in  her  eighteenth 
year,  and  one  of  the  most  charming  of  the  many  charming 
women  who  adorned  the  Grand  Monarque  s Court.  “ There 
was  about  her  whole  person,”  says  Madame  de  La  Fayette, 
“ a grace  and  sweetness  that  won  for  her  a kind  of  homage 
which  must  have  been  the  more  pleasant  in  that  it  was  ren- 
dered rather  to  her  personality  than  to  her  rank.”  1 

The  appearance  of  the  bride  at  Fontainebleau  the 
summer  after  her  marriage  lent  a new  zest  to  the  gaieties 
of  the  Court.  Every  one,  we  are  told,  thought  of 
Madame  and  tried  to  please  her,  and  among  her  cavaliers 
no  one  was  more  assiduous  in  his  attentions  than  the  King 
himself.  The  young  girl’s  unflagging  high  spirits,  lively 
wit,  and  contempt  for  the  conventionalities,  proved  a 
striking  and  refreshing  contrast  to  the  dull  decorum  which 
poor  Maria  Theresa  insisted  on  observing  in  season  and 
out  of  season,  and  after  enduring  twelve  months  of  the 
latter,  Louis  was  in  a position  to  fully  appreciate  the 
change.  Henrietta,  on  her  part,  was  far  from  insensible 
to  the  homage  paid  her  by  her  royal  brother-in-law,  and 
can  hardly  be  blamed  if  she  preferred  his  society  to  that 
of  the  contemptible  dandy,  her  husband,  who,  according 
to  Saint-Simon,  “ had  all  the  faults  of  a woman  and  none 
of  her  virtues.”  2 

1 Madame  de  La  Fayette’s  Histoire  de  Madame  Henriette  d'  Angleterre. 

2 Saint-Simon  is,  perhaps,  too  hard  on  Monsieur , who,  in  spite  of  his 

25 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


The  intimacy  between  the  monarch  and  Henrietta  soon 
became  so  very  marked  that  Maria  Theresa,  who  had  the 
misfortune  to  be  of  an  exceedingly  jealous  nature,  took 
umbrage  and  overwhelmed  her  husband  with  tears  and 
reproaches,  thereby  still  further  alienating  his  affection. 
Finding  her  remonstrances  without  avail,  she  appealed  to 
the  Queen-Mother,  before  whom  Monsieur , whose  vanity 
was  deeply  wounded  by  his  wife’s  preference  for  Louis, 
also  laid  a complaint.  Anne  of  Austria  enjoyed  nothing 
so  much  as  an  opportunity  for  exercising  over  her  family 
the  influence  which  was  no  longer  permitted  her  in  affairs 
of  State.  She,  therefore,  turned  a willing  ear  to  the  griev- 
ances of  the  neglected  wife  and  husband,  and  endeavoured 
to  mediate  between  the  two  young  couples.  But  her 
representations  only  served  to  make  matters  worse,  and 
tongues  began  to  wag  right  merrily. 

The  King  and  the  young  Madame , unwilling  to  relin- 
quish a friendship  which  both  had  found  so  pleasant,  but, 
at  the  same  time,  alive  to  the  necessity  of  putting  an  end 
to  the  dissensions  in  the  Royal  Family  and  to  the  malicious 
gossip  which  they  were  occasioning,  decided  that  the  only 
thing  to  be  done  was  for  Louis  to  counterfeit  a passion 
for  one  of  the  princess’s  maids  of  honour,  which,  while 
effectually  silencing  the  voice  of  scandal  in  regard  to  his 
sister-in-law,  would  furnish  him  with  a pretext  for  visiting 
her  apartments  as  frequently  as  heretofore.  Accordingly, 
after  some  little  hesitation,  a certain  Mademoiselle  de  La 
Valliere,1  a very  timid  and  blushing  maiden  of  sixteen, 

vanity  and  effeminacy,  had  some  good  qualities,  and  showed  much 
courage  in  the  field. 

1 She  was  the  daughter  of  Laurent  de  La  Baume  Le  Blanc  de  La 
Valliere,  a brave  soldier,  who  had  distinguished  himself  at  the  battles  of 
Avein  and  Rocroi  and  on  the  Royalist  side  during  the  Fronde.  On  his 

26 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

was  selected  as  the  object  of  his  Majesty’s  simulated 
devotion. 

We  hasten  to  acquit  Madame , who,  though  an  out- 
rageous flirt,  was  a virtuous  woman  at  heart,  of  all 
responsibility  for  what  followed  ; indeed,  her  choice  of 
this  innocent  child,  in  place  of  a finished  coquette,  is  in 
itself  a proof  that  no  harm  was  intended,  and  her  vexation, 
if  not  her  remorse,  at  the  denouement  of  her  little  plot 
appears  to  have  been  very  keen.  For  the  poor  maid  of 
honour  fell  desperately  in  love  with  the  handsome  young 
monarch  who  had  stooped  to  honour  her  with  his  atten- 
tions, nor  was  it  long  before  Louis,  flattered  by  the  flame 
that  he  had  kindled,  returned  her  passion  with  all  the 
warmth  of  an  extremely  ardent  temperament. 

In  the  judgment  of  Sainte-Beuve,  the  portraits  of  Louise 
de  La  Valliere  can  convey  but  a very  inadequate  idea  of 
the  kind  of  charm  which  was  peculiarly  her  own,  and  it  is, 
therefore,  to  the  writings  of  her  contemporaries  that  we 
must  turn  if  we  desire  to  form  a just  estimate  of  one  of 
the  most  poetic  figures  in  French  history.  Here  we  shall 
find  a singular  unanimity  of  opinion.  “ Mademoiselle 
de  La  Valliere,”  says  the  Abbe  de  Choisy,  who  had 
known  her  from  her  childhood,  “ was  not  one  of  those 
perfect  beauties  who  frequently  arouse  admiration  with- 
out kindling  love.  She  was  lovable,  and  that  verse  of  La 
Fontaine’s — 

“ Et  la  grace,  plus  belle  encor  quo  la  beaute,” 

seems  to  have  been  written  for  her.  She  had  a beautiful 
skin,  fair  hair,  a winning  smile,  and  a look  at  once  so 

death,  which  occurred  in  1654,  his  widow  married  Jacques  de  Courtavel, 
Marquis  de  Saint-Remi,  first  maitre  d'hotel  to  Louis  XIV. ’s  intriguing 
uncle,  Gaston  d’Orleans  ; and  it  was  at  Gaston’s  little  Court  at  Blois 
that  Louise  lived  until  she  was  appointed  maid  of  honour  to  Madame. 

27 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


tender  and  so  modest  that  it  gained  one’s  heart  and  one’s 
respect  at  the  same  moment.”  1 Madame  de  Motteville 
also  praises  the  sweetness  of  her  face  and  the  amiability 
of  her  character  ; while  that  most  scathing  critic  of  the 
ladies  of  her  brother-in-law’s  Court,  Charlotte  Elizabeth, 
Duchesse  d’Orleans  (Princess  Palatine),  declares  that  there 
was  “ an  inexpressible  charm  in  her  countenance,”  that 
“ her  whole  bearing  was  unassuming,”  and  that  she  was 
“ an  amiable,  gentle,  kind,  and  tender  woman.” 

What,  however,  has  rendered  her  personality  so  irre- 
sistibly attractive  is  that  there  never  has  been  the  least 
question  as  to  the  disinterestedness  of  her  affection.  With 
her  Louis  XIV.  tasted,  probably  for  the  first  and  last 
time  in  his  life,  the  happiness  so  rarely  vouchsafed  to  a 
monarch  of  being  loved  for  himself  alone.  It  was  the 
King,  not  royalty,  that  Mademoiselle  de  La  Valliere  adored, 
the  man  rather  than  the  King,  and  the  only  favours  which 
she  was  ever  known  to  ask  were  not  for  herself  or  her 
friends,  but  on  behalf  of  people  who  had  been  unfortunate 
enough  to  incur  their  sovereign’s  displeasure. 

The  watchful  Queen-Mother,  whose  suspicions  had 
been  aroused  by  the  fact  that  her  son  had  ceased  to 
perform  his  religious  duties  with  his  customary  regularity, 
was  the  first  to  discover  the  state  of  affairs  ; but  her 
fears  with  regard  to  Louis’s  connection  with  Madame 
blinded  her  to  the  real  danger,  and  before  she  had  time 
to  interfere,  the  mischief  was  done.  For  the  resistance 
had  been  short  ; the  victory  fatally  easy.  Mademoiselle 
de  La  Valliere  had  arrived  at  Fontainebleau  in  May  ; ere 
July  had  run  its  course,  she  had  become  the  mistress  of 
the  King. 

Although  unable  to  save  the  girl,  Anne  of  Austria  did 
1 Memolres  de  V Abbe  de  Choisy  (edit.  1888),  i.  120. 


1 1 : ' . . : M AH  A 

( i S3 IJ 5 A V 


H(I  1^03 'A  AM  -f  or!i  .(•  U 

30  a^ao.AiCI'' 


• m*aj  ../.M 


<!  it/  <OlM  » sttVih'Vjy  . 


XMJISE  FRANCOISE  DE  LA  BAUME  LE  BLANC 

(Duchesse  de  La  Valliere) 

From  the  Engraving  by  Nicolas  de  L’Armessin  p'ere 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


everything  in  her  power  to  induce  her  son  to  put  an  end 
to  the  intrigue,  “ representing  to  him  what  he  owed  to 
God  and  his  kingdom.”  Louis,  however,  who  on  the 
death  of  Mazarin,  in  March  1 66 1 , had  taken  the  reins  of 
government  into  his  own  hands,  no  longer  tolerated  any 
interference  with  his  authority,  and  the  most  that  his 
mother  could  do  was  to  persuade  him  to  hide  his  infidelity 
from  the  Queen,  who  was  then  enceinte , until  after  her 
confinement. 

For  six  years  Mademoiselle  de  La  Valliere  held  sway 
over  the  royal  heart  ; a lease  of  power  which  very  few 
kings’  favourites  had  hitherto  been  permitted  to  enjoy. 
Nevertheless,  her  reign  was  far  from  being  an  untroubled 
one,  even  during  the  period  when  his  Majesty’s  passion 
was  at  its  height.  Naturally  modest  and  virtuous,  the 
knowledge  of  her  fault  always  appears  to  have  weighed 
upon  her  mind,  and  at  times  caused  her  the  keenest 
anguish.  As  long  as  Louis  remained  faithful  to  her,  and 
indeed  for  some  while  after  he  had  ceased  to  be  so,  love 
proved  stronger  than  remorse  or  religion  ; but,  on  the 
other  hand,  she  was  at  all  times  exquisitely  sensitive  to  the 
least  symptom  of  neglect  or  displeasure  on  his  part,  and 
more  than  once  the  guilty  chain  which  bound  her  to  him 
was  strained  almost  to  breaking-point. 

In  February  1662  she  fled  from  the  Tuileries  and  took 
refuge  in  a convent  at  Chaillot  ; not,  as  some  writers  assert, 
because  Madame  had,  in  a fit  of  virtuous  indignation,  dis- 
missed her  from  her  service,  but  because  she  had  incurred 
the  grave  displeasure  of  her  royal  lover  owing  to  her  very 
honourable  refusal  to  enlighten  him  as  to  the  relations 
existing  between  the  princess  in  question  and  her  admirer, 
the  Comte  deGuiche.  Her  flight  was  quickly  discovered,  and 
information  brought  to  the  King,  who  was  at  the  Louvre, 

29 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


giving  audience  to  the  Spanish  Ambassador.  Louis,  in 
great  agitation,  at  once  dismissed  the  diplomatist,  and, 
mounting  a horse,  and  attended  only  by  a single  page, 
started  at  full  gallop  for  the  convent.  He  found  the 
unfortunate  La  Valliere  in  the  ante-room — for,  the  com- 
munity being  at  their  devotions,  she  had  not  yet  been 
admitted  to  an  interview  with  the  superior — lying  on  the 
floor,  half-dead  with  cold,  fatigue,  and  despair,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  persuading  her,  though  not  without  considerable 
difficulty,  to  abandon  her  intention  of  taking  the  vows 
and  return  with  him  to  Paris. 

Scarcely  had  the  excitement  caused  by  this  episode 
abated,  when  trouble  arose  from  another  source. 

The  King’s  passion  for  La  Valliere  had  naturally  excited 
a great  deal  of  jealousy  among  the  ladies  of  the  Court, 
and  by  none  was  it  resented  more  bitterly  than  by  Olympe 
Mancini,  now  Comtesse  de  Soissons.  This  designing  and 
unscrupulous  woman  had  contrived  to  get  herself  appointed 
surintendante  of  the  young  Queen’s  Household,  and,  prior 
to  the  rise  of  La  Valliere,  had  recovered  much  of  her 
former  influence  over  Louis,  who,  as  one  writer  suggests, 
was  perhaps  less  diffident  with  Madame  de  Soissons  than 
he  had  been  with  Mademoiselle  Mancini.  Deeply  chagrined 
at  the  loss  of  the  favour  from  which  she  had  hoped  so 
much,  she  vowed  vengeance  on  the  innocent  cause  of  her 
disappointment,  and  having  taken  counsel  with  her  lover, 
the  scoundrelly  Marquis  de  Vardes,  and  the  Comte  de 
Guiche,  already  mentioned,  a vain  and  foolish  young  man, 
who  had  never  forgiven  La  Valliere  for  having  once  re- 
jected his  addresses,  resolved  to  raise  a scandal  before  which 
she  judged  the  sensitive  girl  must  inevitably  succumb. 

The  plan  of  the  conspirators  was  to  send  an  anonymous 
letter,  containing  a full,  true,  and  particular  account  of 

3° 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


the  manner  in  which  his  Majesty  spent  his  leisure  moments, 
to  the  Queen,  who,  thanks  to  the  exertions  of  Anne  of 
Austria,  was  still  under  the  delusion  that  there  was  “ nothing 
but  mere  friendship  ” between  her  husband  and  La  Valli£re. 
The  letter  was  written  in  Spanish,  as  Maria  Theresa  was 
still  so  ignorant  of  French  that  she  might  have  failed  to 
understand  it  if  the  vernacular  had  been  employed,  and 
enclosed  in  an  envelope  addressed  in  the  handwriting  of  the 
Queen  of  Spain — which  Madame  de  Soissons  had  stolen 
from  her  mistress’s  apartments — in  order  to  make  sure  of 
its  reaching  its  destination  unopened. 

Fortunately  for  Maria  Theresa  and  the  favourite,  the 
letter  fell  into  the  hands  of  Donna  Molina,  a Spanish  lady 
in  the  Queen’s  service,  who,  fearing  that  it  might  contain 
some  bad  news  concerning  the  King  of  Spain,  who  was 
seriously  ill,  took  upon  herself  the  responsibility  of  opening 
it,  and  promptly  carried  it  to  Anne  of  Austria,  and,  on 
her  advice,  to  the  King.  Louis  was,  of  course,  much 
exasperated,  but,  as  the  person  he  employed  to  investigate 
the  affair  was  none  other  than  Vardes  himself,  we  can  hardly 
be  surprised  that  the  guilty  parties  should  have  escaped 
detection. 

Undeterred  by  the  failure  of  this  plot,  Madame  de 
Soissons,  a few  months  later,  brought  forward  a rival  to 
La  Valliere  in  the  person  of  a Mademoiselle  de  la  Motte- 
Houdancourt,1  one  of  the  Queen’s  files  d'honneur , “ who, 
though  no  sparkling  beauty,  had  drawn  away  lovers  from 
the  celebrated  Menneville  (the  mistress  of  Fouquet).”2 

1 This  lady  is  often  confused  with  the  Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte 
d’Argencourt,  already  mentioned.  Both  M.  Cheruel,  the  editor  of 
Saint-Simon’s  Memoires,  and  M.  de  Monmerqud,  the  editor  of  the 
Letters  of  Madame  de  Sevigne,  have  fallen  into  this  error. 

2 Hamilton’s  Memoires  de  Gramont  (edit.  1888),  p.  95. 

3i 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


She  very  nearly  succeeded  in  drawing  away  Mademoiselle  de 
La  Valliere’s  as  well,  for  the  King  fell  into  the  trap  prepared 
for  him  and  pressed  his  suit  with  ardour.  His  passion 
for  the  damsel  was  probably  stimulated  by  the  rivalry  of 
the  Chevalier  de  Gramont,  the  hero  of  Count  Hamilton’s 
Memoires , who,  it  appears,  had  never  given  the  lady  a 
thought  until  he  found  that  she  was  honoured  by  his 
sovereign’s  attentions,  when  he  straightway  concluded  that 
she  must  be  worthy  of  his.  Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte, 
who  had  no  use  for  such  small  fry  as  the  Chevalier  when 
there  was  a King  prepared  to  fall  at  her  feet,  so  far  from 
encouraging  his  addresses,  complained  of  him  to  her  royal 
admirer;  “and  then  it  was  that  De  Gramont  perceived 
that  if  love  renders  all  things  equal,  it  is  not  so  among 
rivals,”  1 for  one  fine  day  he  received  a peremptory  order 
to  retire  from  Court. 

Meanwhile,  poor  Mademoiselle  de  La  Valliere  was 
plunged  in  the  depths  of  despair,  but  Louis,  piqued  by 
the  resistance  of  La  Motte,  who  simulated  virtue  with 
considerable  skill,  and  by  the  remonstrances  of  the  Queen’s 
dame  d'honneur , Madame  de  Navailles,  who  was  respon- 
sible for  the  good  conduct  of  the  maids  of  honour,  and 
who  had  gone  so  far  as  to  put  iron  gratings  before  the 
windows  of  her  charges’  apartments,  in  order  to  guard 
against  accidents,  paid  no  attention  to  her  reproaches. 

At  length,  Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte,  acting  on  instruc- 
tions from  Madame  de  Soissons,  professed  herself  ready 
to  surrender,  but  on  one  condition — the  dismissal  of 
La  Valliere.  Louis  protested,  but  the  lady  remained 
inflexible,  and  it  is  quite  probable  that  she  would  have 
carried  her  point  had  not  Anne  of  Austria,  who,  though 
she  had  no  love  for  the  reigning  mistress,  had  still  less 
1 Hamilton’s  Memoires  de  Gramont  (edit.  1888),  p.  96. 

32 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


for  the  intriguing  maid  of  honour,  intercepted  a letter 
written  by  one  of  Madame  de  Soissons’s  friends  to  La 
Motte  and  containing  abundant  proof  that  the  latter  was 
a mere  tool  in  the  hands  of  the  Countess,  and  laid  it 
before  her  son.  Highly  indignant  at  the  way  in  which 
he  had  been  duped,  the  King  at  once  broke  off  all  con- 
nection with  La  Motte,  who  was  shortly  afterwards  dis- 
missed from  the  Queen’s  service  for  having  received  the 
Marquis  de  Richelieu  in  her  apartments  in  defiance  of 
Maria  Theresa’s  orders.  Three  years  later,  the  true  story 
of  the  Spanish  letter  came  out,  and  Madame  de  Soissons 
was  ordered  to  retire  from  Court  ; while  the  Comte  de 
Guiche,  who  had  made  a full  confession  of  his  part  in  the 
affair,  was  sent  on  foreign  service.  The  third  conspirator, 
Vardes,  was  already  in  exile,  “ expiating  some  unbecoming 
words  of  which  Madame  had  complained  to  his  Majesty,” 
and  these  revelations  caused  his  banishment  to  be  pro- 
longed till  1683. 

After  the  death  of  Anne  of  Austria,  in  January  1666, 
Louis  threw  aside  the  last  pretence  of  concealment,  and 
the  deputations  from  the  Parliament  and  the  Courts  of 
Law  who  came  to  Saint-Germain  to  present  their  con- 
dolences to  their  Majesties  were  astonished  to  see  the 
King’s  mistress  among  the  ladies  in  attendance  on  the 
Queen.  As  for  that  unfortunate  princess,  who  had  long 
suffered  from  all  the  pangs  of  jealousy,  though  they 
seldom  took  a more  violent  form  than  tears,  she  appears, 
after  her  first  burst  of  indignation  was  over,  to  have 
accepted  the  situation,  and  contented  herself  with  dis- 
missing from  her  service  those  of  her  ladies  who  had  been 
most  active  in  fostering  her  delusion  that  the  friend- 
ship between  the  King  and  La  Valliere  had  been  of  the 
platonic  order.  Nevertheless,  when,  some  months  later, 

33  C 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

an  opportunity  for  humiliating  her  rival  presented  itself, 
she  did  not,  as  we  shall  presently  see,  allow  it  to  slip. 

The  two  lovers  had  not  been  separated  even  for  a single 
day  when,  in  the  spring  of  1667,  the  Devolution  War 
broke  out  with  Spain,  and  Louis  XIV.  announced  his 
intention  of  taking  the  field  in  person.  Before  setting  out 
to  join  the  army  in  Flanders,  he  resolved  to  make  pro- 
vision for  his  mistress  and  a daughter  (Marie  Anne  de 
Bourbon)  whom  she  had  borne  him  the  previous  year,1  to 
raise  the  former  to  the  rank  of  duchess  and  to  legitimate 
the  latter  ; and,  accordingly,  on  May  13,  1667,  very  much 
against  the  wish  of  “ that  little  violet  which  hid  itself 
under  the  grass  and  was  ashamed  of  being  mistress,  of 
being  mother,  of  being  duchess,” 2 letters  patent  were 
issued  to  the  following  effect  : 

“Louis,  by  the  grace  of  God  King  of  France  and 
Navarre,  to  all  present  and  to  come  greeting  : 

“The  favours  which  kings  exercise  in  their  States  being 
the  public  recognition  of  the  merit  of  those  who  receive 
them  and  the  most  glorious  eulogy  of  those  who  are  thus 
honoured,  we  are  of  opinion  that  we  cannot  more  effectively 
give  public  expression  to  the  peculiar  esteem  in  which  we 

1 She  had  already  had  two  children,  a boy,  born  in  1663,  died  in 
1666,  and  a daughter,  who  only  lived  a few  months.  Both  children 
had  been  entrusted  to  the  care  of  Madame  Colbert,  who  brought  them 
up  with  her  own. 

2 Letter  of  Madame  de  Sevigne  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  Septem- 
ber 1,  1680.  This  is  probably  in  allusion  to  the  charming  verses  of 
Desmarets  : 

“ Modeste  en  ma  couleur,  modeste  en  mon  sejour, 

Franche  d’ambition,  je  me  cache  sous  l’herbe  ; 

Mais  si  sur  votre  front  je  puis  me  voir  un  jour, 

La  plus  humble  des  fleurs  sera  la  plus  superbe.” 

34 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


hold  the  person  of  our  dear  and  well-beloved  and  very 
loyal  Louise  de  La  Valliere  than  in  bestowing  upon  her 
the  highest  titles  of  honour  that  a very  singular  affection, 
aroused  in  our  heart  by  an  infinity  of  rare  perfections,  has 
suggested  to  us.  And  although  her  modesty  has  frequently 
opposed  itself  to  our  desire  to  promote  her  sooner  to  a 
rank  proportionate  to  our  esteem  and  to  her  good  qualities, 
nevertheless,  as  the  affection  which  we  entertain  for  her 
and  our  sense  of  justice  will  not  permit  us  any  longer  to 
defer  our  public  recognition  of  a merit  which  is  so  well 
known  to  us,  nor  to  refuse  any  longer  to  Nature  the 
proof  of  our  affection  for  Marie  Anne,  our  natural 
daughter,  in  the  person  of  her  mother,  we  have  acquired 
the  estate  of  Vaujours,  situated  in  Touraine,  and  the 
barony  of  Christophe,  in  Anjou,  which  are  two  estates 
equally  important  on  account  of  their  revenues  and  their 
tenures. 

“ But  reflecting  that  there  might  be  something  wanting 
in  our  bounty  if  we  did  not  enhance  the  value  of  this 
property  by  a title  which  would  be  at  the  same  time  com- 
mensurate with  the  esteem  which  calls  forth  our  liberality 
and  the  merits  of  the  subject  on  whom  it  is  bestowed ; and, 
moreover,  taking  into  consideration  that  our  dear  and 
well-beloved  Louise  de  La  Valliere  is  descended  from  a 
very  noble  and  very  ancient  house,  whose  ancestors  have 
given  on  divers  important  occasions  signal  proofs  of  their 
great  zeal  for  the  well-being  and  advantage  of  our  State 
and  of  their  talent  and  experience  in  the  command  of 
armies  . . .” 

Then  follows  the  formula  for  the  creation  of  a duchy, 
“ to  be  enjoyed  by  the  aforesaid  Demoiselle  Louise 
Franchise  de  la  Valliere  and,  after  her  decease,  by  Marie 
Anne,  our  natural  daughter,  her  heirs  and  descendants, 

35 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


both  male  and  female,  born  in  wedlock  ” ; and  the  letters 
conclude  with  a clause  providing  that  “ in  the  event  of  the 
death,  without  lawful  issue,  of  Marie  Anne,  our  natural 
daughter,  whom  we  have  declared  and  do  declare  legitimate 
and  capable  of  enjoying  all  honours  and  civil  rights ,”  1 the 
estates  composing  the  duchy  should  revert  to  the  Crown. 

From  these  signal  marks  of  the  royal  favour  one  would 
naturally  have  supposed  that  time  had  rather  augmented 
than  diminished  his  Majesty’s  passion  for  his  mistress. 
But  such  was  far  from  being  the  case.  Already  a formid- 
able rival  had  arisen,  before  whose  more  opulent  charms 
the  star  of  La  Valliere  was  paling  rapidly. 

1 It  must  not  be  supposed  that  in  legitimating  this  child  Louis  XIV. 
was  guilty  of  any  new  departure ; the  practice  was  a very  old  one.  So 
far  back  as  the  year  1465,  Louis  XI.  had  legitimated  his  natural  daughter 
by  Madame  de  Sassenage,  his  queen’s  dame  d’honneur,  and  his  example 
had  been  followed  by  more  than  one  of  his  successors,  notably  by 
Henri  IV.,  who  had  legitimated  the  numerous  children  he  had  had  by 
Gabrielle  d’Estr£es,  Madame  de  Verneuil,  Jacqueline  de  Beuil,  and 
Charlotte  des  Essarts,  Comtesse  de  Romorantin.  Nor  was  the  custom 
by  any  means  confined  to  the  issue  of  Royalty.  Under  the  ancien  regime 
the  King  conferred  letters  of  legitimation  very  much  in  the  same  way  as 
in  later  times  he  conferred  letters  of  naturalisation.  For  their  validity, 
however,  it  was  necessary  that  the  letters  should  mention  the  consent  of 
those  to  whom  the  child  would  now  be  eligible  to  succeed,  and  that 
they  should  be  registered  by  the  Parliament.  It  should  be  remarked  that 
not  only  ordinary  natural  children  but  adulterine  ones  as  well  might  be 
legitimated, 


36 


CHAPTER  III 


Mademoiselle  de  Tonnay-Charente — Her  praises  sung  by 
Loret  in  La  Muse  historique — Her  beauty  and  wit — Her 
marriage  with  the  Marquis  de  Montespan — Dishonourable 
conduct  of  their  respective  parents — Res  angusta  domi — 
Madame  de  Montespan  determines  to  become  the  mistress 
of  the  King — Erroneous  views  of  historians  in  regard  to 
this  matter — She  deceives  the  Queen  and  La  Valliere — 

Louis  XIV.  joins  the  army  in  Flanders — The  Queen  orders 
La  Valliere  to  retire  to  her  estates — French  successes  in 
Flanders — The  Court  sets  out  to  join  the  King — La  Valliere 
follows  in  defiance  of  the  Queen’s  orders — And  overtakes  the 
Court  at  La  Fere — Chagrin  of  the  Queen — Pretended  indig- 
nation of  Madame  de  Montespan — “What!  Before  the 
Queen  ! ” — The  garde-du-corps — Suspicious  conduct  of  the 
King  and  Madame  de  Montespan  at  Avesnes — La  Valliere 
and  Madame  de  Montespan  attend  confession  together. 

In  the  autumn  of  the  year  1660  there  arrived  at  Court,  in 
the  capacity  of  fille  d'honneur  to  Maria  Theresa,  a certain 
Fran^oise  Athenai's  de  Rochechouart-Mortemart.  This 
young  lady,  who  was  the  second  daughter  of  Gabriel  de 
Rochechouart,  Due  de  Mortemart,1  and  of  his  wife,  Diane 
de  Grandseigne,  a woman  of  distinguished  piety,  “ who 

1 The  Rochechouarts  were  an  ancient  Poitou  family,  who  traced 
their  descent  back  to  the  eleventh  century,  to  one  Aimery,  Vicomte  de 
Rochechouart,  Seneschal  of  Toulouse.  The  Mortemarts  were  an  equally 
ancient  house,  originally  from  Limousin,  whence  they  passed  to  La 
Marche,  and  thence  to  Poitou.  About  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth 
century  the  two  families  intermarried. 

37 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


had  sowed  in  her  heart  from  her  earliest  childhood  seeds 
of  religion  which  were  never  eradicated,”  1 was  at  this  time 
in  her  twentieth  year,  and,  as  she  united  to  beauty  of  an 
unusually  high  order  a brilliant  if  decidedly  caustic  wit — 
the  “ esprit  de  Mortemart  ” had  passed  into  a proverb — 
soon  came  to  be  regarded  as  the  brightest  ornament  of 
the  Queen’s  Household. 

The  first  mention  that  we  have  of  Mademoiselle  de 
Tonnay-Charente,  as  she  was  then  called,2  is  in  the  summer 
of  1662,  when  she  took  part,  with  a bevy  of  other  young 
beauties,  in  a ballet  called  Hercule  amoureux , in  which 
Louis  XIV.  also  appeared,  doubling  the  roles  of  Mars  and 
the  Sun.  At  the  following  Christmas,  we  find  her  officiating 
as  a queteuse  at  the  Church  of  Saint-Germain  l’Auxerrois, 

1 Souvenirs  et  Correspondance  de  Madame  de  C ay lus  (edit.  1889), 

p.  44.  Beyond  this  we  know  nothing  of  her  early  years,  except  that 
she  received  “an  education  befitting  her  rank”  at  the  Couvent  de 
Sainte-Marie  at  Saintes,  which,  however,  evidently  did  not  include 
orthography,  as  the  reader  will  perceive  from  the  following  letter, 
written,  in  March  1680,  in  answer  to  one  from  the  Due  de  Noailles, 
asking  her  to  obtain  a post  in  the  Household  of  the  Dauphiness  for  a 
M.  Tamboneau  : “Vous  sauest  bien  que  toutte  les  charges  de  ches  me 
la  Daufine  sont  destinees  et  que  mesme  ce  nesstet  [n’etait]  pas  vne 
aucasion  trop  favorrable  pour  mr  tanbonneau  il  lan  fault  chercher 
daustre  et  aiseyer  de  les  faires  rehusir  ie  my  anploiray  auec  toute  lapli- 
cation  possible  ie  ne  [an  illegible  word]  le  moin  que  vous  pour  lassurer 
que  dans  tous  les  tans  iai  souete  son  auantage  et  me  serest  trouee 
heureuse  d’y  pouvoir  contribuer  ditte  luy  bien  tout  ce  qui  peust 
adousir  vn  estat  aussy  facheux  que  le  sien  enatant  [dant]  que  Ton  puisse 
le  changer.  . . ” 

2 Tonnay-Charente  was  the  name  of  the  chateau  where  she  was  born. 
She  was  so  called  to  distinguish  her  from  her  three  sisters  : Gabrielle 
de  Rochechouart-Mortemart,  married  in  1655  to  the  Marquis  de 
Thianges  ; Marie  Christine,  a nun  at  the  Couvent  des  Filles  Sainte- 
Marie  at  Chaillot  ; and  Marie  Madeleine  Gabrielle  de  Rochechouart- 
Mortemart,  Abbess  of  Fontevrault. 

38 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

at  the  conclusion  of  a sermon  preached  before  the  King, 
on  which  occasion  her  loveliness  evoked  such  general 
admiration  that  the  poet  Loret  was  moved  to  sing  her 
praises  in  the  next  number  of  La  Muse  historique d 

“ L’admirable  de  Mortemar, 

Tres-aimable  Mignonne,  car 
C’est  une  des  plus  ravissantes, 

Des  plus  sages,  des  plus  charmantes 
De  toutes  celles  de  la  Cour, 

Ob  Ton  void  mille  Objets  d’amour  : 

Cette  aimable  (dis-je)  Mignonne 
Si  rare  et  si  belle  Personne, 

Fit  la  Quete  ce  saint  Jour-lk  ; 

Et,  comme  quelqu’un  m’en  parla, 

Ce  fut,  Lecteur,  je  vous  proteste, 

D’un  air  si  doux  et  si  modeste, 

Ou,  pour  parler  plus  dignement, 

Avec  un  si  noble  agrement, 

Que  tout  Chrestien,  tant  ffit-il  sage, 

Etoit  charme  de  son  vizage, 

1 Jean  Loret  was  born  at  Charenton  about  the  year  1700.  Although 
he  had  had  but  the  rudiments  of  an  education,  he  came  to  Paris  to  seek 
his  fortune,  and  managed  to  insinuate  himself  into  the  good  graces  of 
Mazarin,  who  gave  him  a small  pension.  In  1646  he  published  a 
volume  of  burlesque  verse,  addressed  to  various  distinguished  persons  of 
the  Court,  which  met  with  some  success  and  suggested  to  him  the  idea 
of  writing  a weekly  gazette  in  which  he  might  relate,  in  a light  and 
amusing  manner,  news  of  a kind  to  interest  the  Court  and  the  city. 
Accordingly,  every  Sunday,  from  March  4,  1650,  to  March  28,  1665,  he 
addressed  to  his  patroness,  Madame  de  Longueville,  this  gazette  in 
burlesque  verses,  that  is  to  say,  verses  of  eight  syllables.  At  first,  only  a 
few  manuscript  copies  were  distributed  ; but  in  1652  it  was  printed 
under  the  title  of  La  Muse  historique , and  secured  a considerable  circula- 
tion. The  complete  collection  comprises  750  numbers  and  about 
400,000  verses,  and  forms  a mine  of  valuable  information  about  the 
doings  of  Court  and  town  in  his  day — plays,  fetes,  weddings,  State 
functions,  and  so  forth,  at  most  of  which  Loret,  in  his  capacity  as  Society 
journalist,  was  himself  present. 


39 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Que  Ton  dizoit,  de  main  en  main, 

Plut6t  Angelique  qu’humain. 

O que  sa  brillante  jeunesse 
De  libertez  fut  larronesse  ! 

Et  que  ses  propos  gracieux, 

Et  la  douceur  de  ses  beaux  yeux, 

Embellis  de  clairtez  divines, 

Firent  d’innocentes  rapines  ! 

Puis-qu’il  est  vray  qu’en  mesme  instant, 

Cet  Objet  toujours  eclatant, 

Qui  de  mille  amours  et  la  source, 

Ataquoit  les  coeurs  et  la  bource.”1 

The  charms  which  the  ingenious  Loret  celebrated  in 
the  above  doggerel  have  been  extolled  by  all  the  leading 
chroniclers  of  the  period.  Saint-Simon,  who,  of  course, 
only  knew  her  in  her  later  years,  when  time  and  trouble 
had  set  their  marks  upon  her,  declares  that  she  was 
“ beautiful  as  the  day  ” ; Madame  de  La  Fayette  speaks  of 
her  as  “ a flawless  beauty  ” ; Madame  de  Sevign£’s  letters 
contain  a hundred  ecstatic  references  to  that  dazzling 
loveliness  which  bewitched  friend  and  foe  alike  ; while 
even  the  Princess  Palatine,  who  cordially  detested  her,  is 
fain  to  confess  that  she  had  “ beautiful  fair  hair,  fine  arms, 
shapely  hands,  a very  pretty  mouth,  and  a winning  smile.” 

But  great  as  was  the  renown  of  her  beauty,  that  of 
her  wit  was  greater  still.  “ She  was  always  the  best  of 
company,”  says  Saint-Simon,  “ with  graces  which  palliated 
her  proud  and  haughty  manner  and  were  indeed  suited  to 
it.  It  was  impossible  to  have  more  wit,  more  refinement, 
greater  felicity  of  expression,  eloquence,  natural  propriety, 
which  gave  her,  as  it  were,  an  individual  style  of  talk,  but 
delicious,  and  which,  by  force  of  habit,  was  so  infectious 

1 La  Muse  kistorique,  December  31,  1662.  We  have  retained  the 
orthography  of  the  writer. 


40 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


that  her  nieces  and  the  persons  constantly  about  her,  her 
women  and  those  who  had  been  brought  up  with  her,  all 
caught  the  style,  which  is  recognisable  to-day  among  the 
few  survivors.”1 

Thus  richly  dowered  by  Nature,  it  would  indeed  have 
been  surprising  if  Frangoise  de  Rochechouart2  had  remained 
long  unwed,  and  on  January  28,  1663,  after  her  parents 
had  rejected  several  distinguished  pretenders  to  her  hand, 
including  the  Marquis  de  Noirmoutier,  who,  if  Madame 
de  La  Fayette  is  to  be  believed,  the  young  lady  would 
have  been  more  than  willing  to  accept  as  her  husband,  she 
married  a nobleman  from  her  own  province,  Louis  Henri 
de  Pardaillan  de  Gondrin,  Marquis  de  Montespan,  eldest 
son  of  the  Marquis  d’Antin,  and  her  junior  by  a year. 

Now,  there  would  appear  to  have  been  a good  deal 
more  mutual  affection  in  this  union,  from  which  two 
children  were  born,3  than  generally  characterised  French 
marriages  in  the  seventeenth  century,  but  any  advantage 
which  the  young  couple  might  have  derived  therefrom 
was  counterbalanced  by  the  want  of  consideration — to 
employ  a mild  expression — shown  by  their  respective 
parents. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  Montespan  should  receive  a 
dowry  of  150,000  livres  with  this  wife.  Of  this  sum, 
however,  the  Due  de  Mortemart  professed  himself  unable 
to  furnish  more  than  60,000  at  the  time  of  the  marriage, 
but  agreed  to  pay  interest  on  the  balance  until  he  could 

1 Memoira  dc  Saint-Simon  (edit.  1881),  xi.  86. 

2 Historians  allude  to  her  generally  as  Athinais , but  she  always  signed 
herself  Fran^oise,  and  was  presumably  thus  addressed. 

3 Louis  Henri  Pardaillan  de  Gondrin,  Due  d’Antin,  born  in  1665, 
and  a daughter.  Of  the  latter  nothing  is  known,  except  that  she  was 
alive  in  July  1774,  when  Madame  de  Montespan  and  her  husband  were 
judicially  separated. 


+ 1 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


see  his  way  to  discharge  his  liability.  In  point  of  fact, 
neither  principal  nor  interest  was  forthcoming.  To 
make  matters  worse,  Montespan  lent  to  his  parents,  “ on 
a mortgage  at  five  per  cent.,”  the  60,000  livres  he  had 
managed  to  extract  from  his  father-in-law,  a proceeding 
which  he  soon  had  reason  to  regret,  for  the  Marquis  and 
Marquise  d’Antin  troubled  themselves  as  little  about  their 
obligation  as  did  the  Due  de  Mortemart,  doubtless  being 
of  opinion  that  the  ties  of  relationship  exempted  them 
from  the  fulfilment  of  their  promise. 

The  consequence  was  that  the  marquis  and  his  young 
wife  entered  upon  their  married  life  very  seriously  handi- 
capped indeed,  and  before  long  found  themselves  deeply 
in  debt.  Prudence  should  have  dictated  that,  under  the 
circumstances,  the  wisest  course  would  be  to  renounce  the 
gaieties  of  the  Court  and  the  capital  for  a time  at  least, 
and  retire  to  Montespan’s  country  seat  at  Bellegarde  in 
the  Pyrenees.  But  the  chateau  in  question,  situated  on 
the  summit  of  the  mountains  and  surrounded  by  a vast 
expanse  of  barren  rock,  was  not  at  all  to  the  marchioness’s 
taste  ; and,  accordingly,  they  remained  at  Court  and  con- 
tinued their  hopeless  struggle  to  make  one  livre  do  the 
work  of  two.  In  order  to  obtain  some  relief  from  their 
embarrassments,  they  had  recourse  to  borrowing  money, 
with  the  inevitable  result  that  they  got  still  deeper  in  the 
mire,  and  amid  the  undignified  annoyances  of  poverty,  or 
what  seemed  to  her  poverty,  Madame  de  Montespan’s 
feeling  for  her  husband  changed  from  affection  to  indiffer- 
ence, and  from  indifference  to  positive  dislike. 

And  so  it  came  about  that,  as  time  went  on,  the  young 
marchioness  began  to  cast  envious  glances  in  the  direction 
of  La  Valliere — La  Valliere,  who  had  all  the  good  things 
of  life  at  her  command,  who  never  knew  the  galling  want 

42 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


of  money,  in  whose  honour  masques  and  ballets  were  given, 
and  Lulli  composed  his  most  enchanting  strains  and 
Benserade  his  most  gallant  verses  ; while  she  herself,  so 
immeasurably  the  favourite’s  superior  in  beauty  and  intel- 
ligence, could  only  by  continual  pinching  and  planning 
maintain  a position  in  accordance  with  her  rank.  Would 
it  not  be  a fair  exchange,  she  asked  herself,  to  surrender 
that  which  the  Church  indeed  told  her  was  priceless,  but 
to  which  the  vast  majority  of  the  women  about  her 
attached  so  very  little  value  in  return  for  all  these  ad- 
vantages— and  greater  ones  besides,  for  La  Valliere  was 
but  a poor  shrinking  creature,  who  thought  only  of  loving 
and  being  loved,  and  lacked  the  spirit  to  acquire  that 
power  and  influence  which  might  be  an  abler  woman’s  with 
very  little  trouble  ? 

It  was  long  the  fashion  among  historians,  who  appear  to 
base  their  statements  chiefly  on  the  authority  of  Saint- 
Simon— a chronicler  who  was  not  born  until  177 5,  and 
can,  therefore,  have  been  merely  repeating  the  version  of 
the  affair  which  was  current  in  his  day — to  represent 
Madame  de  Montespan  as  the  unwilling  victim  of 
Louis  XIV. ’s  desires.  One  whose  work  lies  before  us 
draws  a touching  picture  of  the  agony  of  mind  of  “ the 
youthful,  innocent  beauty,  fresh  from  the  seclusion  of 
provincial  life  ” when  she  found  that  she  had  had  the 
misfortune  to  attract  the  blighting  regards  of  royalty  ; of 
how  she  entreated  her  husband  to  take  her  away  to  Guienne 
and  to  leave  her  there  until  the  King  had  completely 
forgotten  her,  and  of  how  Montespan,  in  fatal  confidence, 
trusted  her  resistance  and  refused  her  petition. 

Nothing  could  possibly  be  further  from  the  truth. 
Recent  research  has  established  beyond  all  reasonable 
doubt  the  fact  that,  so  far  from  being  the  unwilling  victim 

43 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


that  so  many  writers  would  have  us  believe,  Madame  de 
Montespan  laid  her  plans  for  the  subjugation  of  le  Grand 
Monarque  with  as  much  deliberation  as  did  Madame  de 
Pompadour  for  that  of  his  successor  ; and  that,  as  we 
shall  show  when  we  come  to  speak  of  the  proceedings 
against  the  Poisoners  before  the  Chambre  Ardente,  at  the 
very  time  when  the  marchioness  was  supposed  to  be 
imploring  her  husband  to  take  her  out  of  the  way  of 
temptation  she  was,  distrustful  of  the  power  of  her  own 
charms,  actually  invoking  the  assistance  of  magicians  and 
witches  to  enable  her  to  supplant  La  Vallierein  the  King’s 
affections  ! 

Having,  therefore,  resolved  to  enter  the  lists  against 
the  reigning  favourite,  Madame  de  Montespan  proceeded 
to  cast  about  her  for  the  most  effective  means  of  com- 
passing her  end.  She  quickly  perceived  that  the  chief 
obstacle  to  success  was  the  fact  that  her  opportunities  for 
ingratiating  herself  with  his  Majesty  were  so  very  limited. 
Louis  was  an  indefatigable  worker  (“  He  has  enough 
energy  for  four  kings  and  one  honest  man,”  Mazarin  had 
once  observed),  and  public  affairs  and  State  functions  occu- 
pied the  greater  portion  of  his  time,  while  most  of  his 
leisure  was  spent  either  in  hunting  or  in  the  apartments  of 
Madame  de  La  Valliere  or  the  Queen.  Indeed,  the  only 
occasions  on  which  she  could  hope  to  exchange  even  a 
few  words  with  her  sovereign  were  in  public,  when,  of 
course,  a dozen  pair  of  eyes  were  on  the  watch  to  note 
the  monarch’s  slightest  movement,  a dozen  pair  of  ears 
open  to  catch  every  syllable  that  fell  from  the  royal 
lips. 

After  a little  reflection,  the  marchioness  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  only  possible  way  of  securing  the 

44 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

King’s  favour  was  by  first  gaining  the  friendship  and  con- 
fidence of  La  Valliere  and  the  Queen,  who  would,  doubtless, 
then  provide  her  with  the  opportunities  which  she  was 
at  present  denied  ; and,  with  this  object  in  view,  she 
began  to  pay  both  ladies  assiduous  court.  Her  scheme 
was  successful  beyond  her  most  sanguine  expectations. 
Neither  the  duchess  nor  Maria  Theresa  had  the  faintest 
suspicion  of  the  lady’s  intentions — for  Madame  de 
Montespan  was  most  regular  in  the  discharge  of  her 
religious  duties,  and  was  looked  upon  as  a perfect  model 
of  propriety — and  both  were  only  too  pleased  to  have  the 
co-operation  of  so  charming  and  witty  a companion  in 
their  far  from  easy  task  of  entertaining  the  King.  Living 
as  they  did  in  little  worlds  of  their  own,  taking  but  a 
reluctant  part  in  the  gaieties  that  went  on  around  them, 
supremely  indifferent  to  the  on  dits  which  were  to  the 
ordinary  courtier  the  salt  of  life,  they  had  no  fund  of 
small  talk  wherewith  to  divert  the  monarch  during  the 
hours  which  he  spent  in  their  society,  and,  as  Louis  was 
never  at  any  great  pains  to  conceal  his  ennui , the  poor 
ladies  were  painfully  conscious  of  their  shortcomings  in 
this  respect.  To  them,  therefore,  Madame  de  Montespan 
must  have  appeared  as  a kind  of  godsend,  and  when,  as 
the  result  of  her  intervention,  his  Majesty’s  visits  to  their 
apartments  became  more  and  more  frequent,  their  satis- 
faction knew  no  bounds.  La  Valliere  cherished  the 
illusion  that,  thanks  to  her  friend’s  help,  she  was  about  to 
enter  upon  a fresh  lease  of  favour  ; the  Queen  that  she 
was  gradually  weaning  her  husband  from  La  Valliere. 
The  marchioness,  on  her  side,  was  equally  pleased  with  the 
way  in  which  matters  were  progressing,  for  the  King,  who 
had  at  first  been  somewhat  diffident  in  her  presence, 
through  fear,  it  is  said,  of  her  wit,  which  spared  neither 

45 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


high  nor  low,1  had  speedily  conquered  his  timidity  and 
now  paid  her  the  most  marked  attention.  Such  was  the 
position  of  affairs  when,  on  May  24,  1667,  Louis  XIV. 
left  Fontainebleau  to  join  the  army  in  Flanders. 

No  sooner  had  his  Majesty  departed  than  the  Queen, 
greatly  daring  now  that  her  dreaded  lord  was  no  longer  at 
hand  to  interfere,  sent  for  Madame2  de  La  Valliere,  and 
intimated  to  her  that  it  was  her  royal  pleasure  that  she 
should  repair  to  her  new  estate  at  Vaujours  with  as  little 
delay  as  possible,  unless,  she  maliciously  added,  she 
preferred  to  meditate  for  a season  upon  the  vanity  of 
worldly  things  in  the  seclusion  of  some  convent.  Then, 
having,  as  she  imagined,  completely  crushed  her  rival,  she 
departed  for  Compiegne,  while  La  Valliere,  to  whom  the 
idea  of  a sojourn  in  Touraine,  out  of  reach  of  all  news  of 
her  beloved,  by  no  means  commended  itself,  but  who,  of 
course,  could  not  follow  the  Court  in  defiance  of  the 
Queen’s  express  commands,  set  out  for  Versailles. 

Meanwhile,  the  French  were  carrying  all  before  them  in 
Flanders,  where,  in  less  than  a fortnight,  several  places, 
including  Charleroi,  had  capitulated  ; the  weak  Spanish 
garrisons,  behind  their  half-dismantled  fortifications,  being 
powerless  to  offer  any  effective  resistance.  Flattered  by 
these  successes,  Louis  XIV.  became  desirous  of  showing 
himself  in  his  new  role  of  conqueror  to  the  Queen  and  the 
ladies  of  the  Court  and  receiving  their  congratulations. 
Accordingly,  he  sent  orders  for  them  to  follow  him,  and, 

1 Such  was  the  terror  which  her  biting  wit  inspired  that  the  courtiers 
were  absolutely  afraid  to  pass  beneath  her  windows  when  they  knew 
the  King  was  with  her,  lest  she  should  seize  the  opportunity  of  turning 
them  into  ridicule  and  injuring  them  in  their  sovereign’s  estimation. 
They  called  it  “going  under  fire.” 

2 As  a duchess,  La  Valliere  was  now  styled  “ Madame.” 

46 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


taking  advantage  of  a temporary  cessation  of  hostilities, 
proceeded  to  Avesnes  to  meet  them. 

In  due  course,  the  news  that  the  Court  was  on  its  way 
to  Flanders  reached  poor  Madame  de  La  Valliere  in  her 
retirement  at  Versailles,  and  roused  in  her  as  much  re- 
sentment as  her  gentle  soul  was  capable  of  feeling.  The 
bare  thought  that  she,  his  chosen  among  women,  was  to 
be  denied  the  privilege  of  acclaiming  this  modern  Alex- 
ander seemed  to  her  a punishment  too  grievous  to  be 
borne.  Rather  than  submit  to  such  an  indignity  she  felt 
that  she  would  cheerfully  brave  the  wrath  of  a hundred 
jealous  queens.  They  might  exile  her  to  Vaujours  ; they 
might  throw  her  into  the  Bastille  ; they  might  send  her  to 
join  her  rejected  admirer,  Fouquet,  at  Pignerol  ; but  they 
should  never  prevent  her  from  beholding  her  lover  with 
his  laurels  thick  upon  him.  Not  for  one  single  moment 
did  she  hesitate  as  to  the  course  she  should  adopt  ; a few 
hours  after  receiving  the  news  she  was  following  the 
Court  as  fast  as  the  horses  attached  to  her  coach  could 
travel. 

The  Queen  had  reached  La  Fere,  and,  having  supped, 
had  just  sat  down  to  a game  of  cards — she  had,  it  may  be 
mentioned,  a perfect  mania  for  cards  and  played  abomin- 
ably, much  to  the  satisfaction  of  her  ladies,  who  won  large 
sums  from  their  royal  mistress — when  a great  commotion 
was  heard  outside.  Mademoiselle  de  Montpensier,1  who 
was  of  the  party,  and  to  whose  Memoires  we  are  indebted 
for  an  entertaining  account  of  the  little  comedy  which 
followed,  went  to  inquire  its  cause,  and  was  informed  that 

1 Anne  Marie  Louise  d’Orleans,  Duchesse  de  Montpensier,  daughter 
of  Gaston  d’Grlcans,  Louis  XIII.’s  brother.  She  was  styled  la  Grande 
Mademoiselle,  to  distinguish  her  from  the  other  Mademoiselle,  Monsieur' s 
little  daughter. 


47 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Madame  de  La  Valliere  was  expected  that  night.  “When 
the  Queen  heard  this,”  adds  the  chronicler,  “ she  appeared 
deeply  mortified.” 

The  following  morning,  on  entering  her  Majesty’s  ante- 
chamber, Mademoiselle  perceived  La  Valliere,  with  two  of 
her  friends,  who  had  accompanied  her  from  Versailles, 
waiting  to  pay  their  respects  to  the  Queen.  They  seemed 
much  fatigued  and  informed  her  that  they  had  been 
travelling  all  night.  After  conversing  with  them  for  a 
little  while,  she  passed  on  into  the  bedchamber,  where 
she  found  poor  Maria  Theresa  in  a pitiable  state  of 
agitation,  with  tears  of  anger  and  mortification  streaming 
down  her  cheeks.  Near  her  stood  three  of  her  ladies, 
the  Princess  of  Baden,  Madame  de  Montausier 1 and 
Madame  de  Montespan,  vainly  endeavouring  to  console 
her,  and  they  all  called  out  in  unison  on  catching  sight  of 
Mademoiselle,  “See  the  state  her  Majesty  is  in  ! ” Madame 
de  Montespan  was  especially  demonstrative  in  her 
sympathy. 

The  Queen,  of  course,  refused  to  receive  La  Valliere, 
and  when,  a little  later,  she  went  to  hear  mass  at  a neigh- 
bouring church,  gave  instructions  that  the  door  leading  to 
the  gallery  which  had  been  reserved  for  the  royal  party 
should  be  locked,  in  order  to  prevent  the  duchess  from 
following  her.  In  spite  of  these  precautions,  La  Valliere 
presented  herself  before  her  Majesty,  as  the  latter  was 
entering  her  coach  to  resume  her  journey,  and  made  her 
obeisance.  Maria  Theresa  said  nothing  at  the  time, 

1 Julie  d’Angennes,  youngest  daughter  of  the  celebrated  Madame  de 
Rambouillet,  and  wife  of  Charles  de  Saint-Maure,  Due  de  Montausier. 
She  had  succeeded  Madame  de  Navailles  as  dame  d'bonneur  to  the 
Queen  in  1664,  previous  to  which  she  had  been  gouvernante  to  the 
little  Dauphin. 


48 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


presumably  her  feelings  had  temporarily  deprived  her  of 
the  power  of  speech ; but  showed  her  resentment  in  truly 
feminine  fashion  when  the  Court  stopped  to  dine  at  noon, 
by  sending  word  to  Villacerf,  her  maitre  d' hotel,  that 
“ nothing  was  to  be  served  to  the  duchess.”  Villacerf, 
however,  who  feared  the  King  a great  deal  more  than  he 
did  the  Queen,  pretended  to  have  misunderstood  her 
Majesty’s  wishes. 

As  might  be  supposed,  what  they  were  pleased  to 
consider  the  outrageous  conduct  of  Madame  de  La  Valliere 
formed  the  sole  topic  of  conversation  among  the  Queen’s 
ladies  during  the  day’s  journey.  The  Princess  of  Baden 
and  Madame  de  Montausier  were  inexpressibly  shocked, 
while  Madame  de  Montespan  exclaimed,  “ Heaven  defend 
me  from  being  the  King’s  mistress,  but,  were  such  a mis- 
fortune to  befall  me,  I should  certainly  not  have  the 
effrontery  to  appear  before  the  Queen  ! ” 

At  Guise,  where  they  stopped  for  the  night,  La  Valliere 
did  not  put  in  an  appearance  ; and  the  Queen  gave  strict 
injunctions  to  the  officers  of  her  escort  to  allow  no  one  to 
depart  in  the  morning  before  the  royal  equipage  had 
started,  so  as  to  ensure  that  she  should  be  the  first  to 
reach  the  King. 

The  favourite,  on  her  part,  was  equally  anxious  to  be 
the  first  to  arrive,  for  thus  she  would  have  an  opportunity 
of  explaining  to  Louis  how  matters  stood,  before  Maria 
Theresa  could  have  time  to  lodge  a complaint  against  her. 
Love,  like  necessity,  is  ever  resourceful,  and  La  Valliere’s, 
quickened  by  jealousy  and  resentment  at  the  treatment 
she  had  received,  suggested  to  her  a plan  of  which,  under 
other  circumstances,  she  would  never  have  dreamed. 

Next  morning,  the  royal  party  entered  upon  the  last 
stage  of  their  long  journey ; the  Queen’s  coach  heading 

+9 


D 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


the  cortege ; La  Valliere’s  following  at  a respectful  dis- 
tance. Suddenly,  the  duchess  alighted,  mounted  to  the 
top  of  some  rising  ground,  and  descried  the  King’s  troops 
encamped  in  the  distance.  Then,  hurriedly  re-entering 
her  carriage,  she  ordered  the  astonished  coachman  to  take 
a short  cut  across  some  fields  and  to  drive  with  all  possible 
speed. 

When  the  Queen  perceived  how  she  had  been  outwitted 
“ she  threw  herself  into  a fearful  passion,”  and  it  was  only 
with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  her  ladies  were  able  to 
dissuade  her  from  sending  part  of  her  mounted  escort  to 
forcibly  arrest  the  progress  of  her  rival.  Her  wrath, 
however,  would  probably  have  been  appeased  could  she 
have  witnessed  the  coldness  with  which  his  Majesty 
received  his  mistress,  who  arrived,  bruised  and  shaken, 
fully  five  minutes  ere  the  rest  of  the  Court  came  up, 
only  to  be  met  with  a laconic  “ What  ! Before  the 
Queen  ! ” 

On  reaching  Avesnes,  Louis  paid  a formal  visit  to 
Madame  de  La  Valliere,  who  refrained  from  joining  the 
Court  circle  that  evening,  doubtless  through  fear  of  pro- 
voking a scene  with  the  enraged  Maria  Theresa.  The 
King,  however,  who,  in  matters  of  etiquette,  as  in  all  else, 
claimed  to  be  the  sole  arbiter,  let  it  be  known  that  it  was 
his  pleasure  that  the  lady’s  behaviour  should  be  overlooked, 
and  accordingly,  the  following  morning,  the  duchess  went 
to  mass  in  the  Queen’s  coach  and  afterwards  dined  at  the 
royal  table.  But  it  was  to  her  rank,  and  not  to  her  person, 
that  these  honours  were  paid,  for  the  days  of  her  ascendency 
were  already  numbered. 

During  the  time  the  Court  remained  at  Avesnes, 
Madame  de  Montespan  shared  with  her  friend,  Madame 
de  Montausier,  a suite  of  apartments  close  to  those  of  the 

5° 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


King,  from  which,  indeed,  they  were  only  separated  by  a 
short  staircase.  On  first  arriving,  a garde-du-corps  had, 
as  usual,  mounted  guard  before  his  Majesty’s  door  ; but 
the  keen  eye  of  Mademoiselle  noted,  a day  or  two  later, 
that  the  man  had  been  removed  and  placed  at  the  foot  of 
the  stairs,  presumably  to  prevent  any  one  ascending ; and 
that  this  change  had  no  sooner  been  made  than  the 
marchioness  frequently  excused  herself,  on  one  plea  or 
another,  from  joining  the  Oueen’s  card-table  or  accom- 
panying her  Majesty  in  her  drives,  as  she  had  hitherto 
been  in  the  habit  of  doing,  and  retired  to  her  apartments, 
and  that  the  King  disappeared  at  the  same  time  and  shut 
himself  in  his  own.1 

On  July  14,  the  army  having  resumed  its  advance, 
Louis  XIV.  departed  at  the  head  of  his  troops  for  Charleroi, 
while  the  Court  set  out  on  its  return  to  Compiegne. 
Madame  de  Montespan,  desirous  of  disarming  suspicion 
until  the  prize  for  which  she  was  striving  should  be  fairly 
within  her  grasp,  showed  herself  more  than  ever  La 
Valliere’s  friend.  In  the  course  of  their  homeward  journey, 
the  royal  party  stopped  for  a night  at  Notre  Dame  de 
Liesse,  where  the  edifying  spectacle  might  have  been 
witnessed  of  the  two  ladies  going  together  to  confession. 
“Who  knows,”  remarks  M.  Lair,  “whether  La  Valliere, 
the  acknowledged  sinner,  did  not  envy  the  easy  conscience 
with  which  the  young  dame  du  palais  approached  the 
tribunal  of  penance  ? ” 2 

1 Mimoires  de  Madesnoiselle  de  Montpensier  (edit.  Cheruel),  iv.  48  et  seq. 

2 Lair’s  Louise  de  La  Valliere  et  la  jeunesse  de  Louis  XIV.,  p.  182. 


51 


CHAPTER  IV 


The  King  pays  a visit  to  Compi^gne — His  Majesty  keeps 
late  hours — The  Court  returns  with  the  King  to  Flanders — 
Incidents  of  the  journey — The  Queen  receives  an  anonymous 
letter — Louis  XIV.  joins  the  Court  at  Saint-Germain — Change 
in  his  demeanour  towards  the  fair  sex — Birth  of  the  Comte  de 
Vermandois — Suspicion  gives  way  to  certainty — “ Un  partage 
avec  Jupiter  ” — The  Marquis  de  Montespan  refuses  to  accept 
the  situation — Opinion  of  his  contemporaries  in  regard  to  his 
conduct — Stormy  interviews  between  him  and  the  King — He 
is  supported  by  his  uncle,  the  archbishop  of  Sens — An 
awkward  coincidence — The  archbishop  defies  the  King  and 
threatens  to  excommunicate  both  him  and  Madame  de 
Montespan — The  Marquis  de  Montespan  and  Madame  de 
Montausier — The  marquis  is  imprisoned  in  For  l’liveque — 

He  is  liberated  and  retires  to  his  estates — His  farewell  visit  to 
the  Court — Quarrel  between  soldiers  under  his  command  and 
the  under-bailiff  of  Perpignan  — Remarkable  letter  from 
Louvois  to  the  Intendant  of  Roussillon  on  this  matter — 
Prosecution  of  Montespan — He  takes  refuge  in  Spain. 

Madame  de  La  Valu^re,  who  was  nearing  her  confine- 
ment, returned  to  her  house  in  Paris ; 1 Madame  de 
Montespan  accompanied  the  Court  to  Compiegne,  there 
to  await  events. 

The  French  successes  in  Flanders  continued,  and 

1 The  Palais  Brion,  in  the  garden  of  the  Palais-Royal.  Though 
called  a palace,  it  was  only  a modest  one-storied  house.  Louis  XIV. 
had  given  it  to  Madame  de  La  Valliere  in  the  autumn  of  1663,  and 
here  the  favourite’s  first  child  was  born. 

52 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Tournai  and  Douai  surrendered  to  the  invaders,  after 
which  there  was  a lull  in  the  operations,  and  the  King 
seized  the  opportunity  to  pay  a flying  visit  to  Compiegne, 
“ ajin  d'eviter  oisived”  he  tells  us  in  his  Memoir es ; in 
reality,  to  prosecute  a campaign  of  a very  different  kind  to 
that  which  he  was  conducting  in  the  Netherlands. 

As  Louis  had  omitted  to  apprise  the  Queen  of  his 
intentions,  no  arrangements  had  been  made  for  his  recep- 
tion, and,  on  his  arrival,  he  found  Mademoiselle  in  posses- 
sion of  his  apartments.  The  lady,  of  course,  offered  to 
vacate  them ; but  his  Majesty  begged  her  not  to  do  so, 
protesting  that,  since  he  only  intended  to  remain  a few 
days,  he  could  not  think  of  disturbing  her,  and  would 
content  himself  with  the  ante-chamber.  This  room  was 
immediately  below  the  apartments  occupied  by  Madame 
de  Montespan. 

During  the  King’s  visit  an  incident  occurred  which 
caused  a good  deal  of  wagging  of  heads  among  the  quid- 
nuncs of  the  Court. 

“ One  day  at  dinner,”  says  Mademoiselle , “ the  Queen 
complained  that  his  Majesty  did  not  retire  to  rest  until  a 
very  late  hour,  and,  turning  to  me,  remarked : ‘ The  King 
did  not  come  to  bed  last  night  until  four  o’clock.  It  was 
broad  daylight.  I cannot  conceive  what  he  could  have 
found  to  occupy  him  until  such  an  hour.’ 

“ ‘ I was  reading  my  despatches  and  answering  them,’ 
replied  the  King. 

“ ‘ But  surely  you  might  choose  some  other  time  for 
that,’  the  Queen  rejoined. 

“ The  King  turned  away  his  head  to  hide  a smile.  I 
felt  very  much  inclined  to  smile,  too,  so  kept  my  eyes 
steadily  on  my  plate.” 

After  dinner  the  Queen  went  for  a drive.  Mademoiselle 

53 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


and  Madame  de  Montespan  accompanied  her,  as  did  the 
King,  who  was  “astonishingly  gay.”1 

Louis  XIV.  decided  that  the  Court  should  return  with 
him  to  Flanders,  where,  since  his  departure,  Courtrai  had 
been  added  to  the  list  of  French  conquests,  in  order  to 
exhibit  Maria  Theresa  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  towns 
annexed  in  her  name  ; and  a few  days  after  the  conversa- 
tion recorded  above  the  Queen  and  her  ladies  were  once 
more  on  the  march.  Douai  was  the  first  town  visited, 
from  which  they  proceeded  to  Tournai,  where  the  clergy 
of  the  cathedral  sang  a Te  Deum  in  honour  of  her 
Majesty’s  arrival,  though  not,  it  would  appear,  with  the 
best  grace  in  the  world.  While  at  Tournai,  the  Queen 
occupied  herself  by  making  a round  of  the  churches  and 
convents,  but  Madame  de  Montespan,  pleading  indispo- 
sition, remained  nearly  the  whole  time  in  her  apartments. 

As  the  King  was  anxious  to  join  the  army  which  was 
about  to  lay  siege  to  Lille,  he  judged  it  best  to  send  back 
the  Court  to  Arras.  This,  as  it  happened,  proved  a wise 
decision,  for  soon  after  he  had  quitted  Tournai,  he  had  a 
sharp  brush  with  the  enemy,  which  might  have  been  a 
serious  affair  had  he  been  encumbered  with  the  Queen 
and  her  entourage.  The  latter,  on  their  side,  did  not 
reach  Arras  without  adventures,  as  a report  having  been 
circulated  that  they  were  being  pursued  by  the  Spaniards, 
the  whole  of  the  sutlers,  of  whom  a great  number  had 
followed  the  Court  from  the  frontier,  stampeded,  throwing 
the  poor  ladies  into  paroxysms  of  terror.  The  alarm, 
however,  turned  out  to  be  a false  one,  and  they  gained 
their  destination  in  safety. 

The  evening  of  their  arrival,  the  Paris  courier  brought 
a letter,  in  an  unknown  handwriting,  addressed  to  the 

1 Mitnoires  de  Mademoiselle  de  Montpensier  (edit.  Cheruel),  iv.  51. 

5+ 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Queen.  Maria  Theresa  broke  the  seals  and  read  it, 
without  making  any  comment  at  the  time  ; but  the 
following  night  after  supper,  finding  herself  alone  with 
Mademoiselle , Madame  de  Montausier,  and  Madame 
de  Montespan,  she  suddenly  remarked  : “ I received 
yesterday  a letter,  containing  certain  information,  which, 
however,  I refuse  to  credit.  I am  advised  that  the  King 
is  in  love  with  Madame  de  Montespan,  and  cares  for  La 
Valliere  no  longer  ; that  it  is  Madame  de  Montausier  who 
is  conducting  this  intrigue  ; that  she  is  deceiving  me,  and 
that  the  King  was  with  Madame  de  Montespan  in  her 
apartments  nearly  the  whole  time  we  were  at  Compiegne. 
In  short,  they  have  left  nothing  unsaid  to  convince  me  of 
the  truth  of  their  accusations  and  to  arouse  my  resent- 
ment against  her.  I do  not  believe  one  word  of  it,  and  I 
have  sent  the  letter  to  the  King.” 

At  this  totally  unexpected  confidence  the  three  ladies 
looked  atoneanother  ingreat  embarrassment.  Mademoiselle , 
who  was  the  first  to  recover  her  self-possession,  contented 
herself  by  remarking,  “ Your  Majesty  has  acted  wisely.” 
But  Madame  de  Montespan  pretended  to  be  furiously 
indignant,  and  demanded,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  how  was 
it  possible  that  any  one  could  imagine  that  she,  who  had 
received  so  much  kindness  from  her  beloved  mistress, 
could  be  guilty  of  such  base  ingratitude  ; while  the 
Duchesse  de  Montausier  was  equally  emphatic  in  protesting 
her  innocence,  and,  later  on,  in  referring  to  some  com- 
plaints which  had  reached  the  Queen  with  regard  to  the 
conduct  of  another  of  her  ladies,  exclaimed:  “Since 
people  accuse  me  of  giving  mistresses  to  the  King,  of 
what  are  they  not  capable  of  accusing  others  ! ” To 
which  the  Queen  replied  that  “ she  was  the  dupe  of  no 
one,  though  perhaps  it  was  otherwise  imagined  ” ; and,  in 

55 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


proof  of  her  assertion,  proceeded  to  overwhelm  Madame 
de  Montespan  with  marks  of  her  favour.1 

After  remaining  a few  days  at  Arras,  the  Court  received 
orders  from  the  King  to  proceed  to  Saint-Germain,  where, 
on  September  io,  Louis  joined  them.  Soon  after  his 
arrival,  two  of  Maria  Theresa’s  ladies,  Madame  d’Armagnac 
and  the  Princess  of  Baden,  received  orders  to  retire  from 
Court.  No  reason  was  assigned  for  their  disgrace,  but  it 
would  appear  to  have  been  not  unconnected  with  the 
anonymous  letter  sent  to  the  Queen.  His  Majesty  was 
evidently  determined  to  tolerate  no  interference  with  his 
private  affairs. 

Observant  feminine  eyes  were  not  slow  to  remark  that 
since  his  return  from  the  wars  the  King’s  demeanour 
towards  the  fair  sex  had  greatly  changed.  Whereas  he 
had  hitherto  been  exceedingly  diffident  with  the  Court 
beauties,  seldom  speaking  unless  they  first  addressed  him, 
and  then  usually  contenting  himself  with  a grave  bow  and 
a brief,  if  courteous,  reply  to  their  questions,  he  now 
“ began  and  carried  on  the  conversation  like  another 
man.”  2 His  conquest,  or  rather  what  he  fondly  imagined 
to  be  his  conquest,  of  the  heart  of  the  haughty  Madame 
de  Montespan  had  inspired  him  with  the  belief  that 
henceforth  no  woman  would  be  proof  against  his  fascina- 
tions, and  the  timid  lover  of  the  timid  La  Valliere  was 
completely  transformed. 

On  October  3,  Madame  de  La  Valliere  gave  birth  to 
her  fourth  child — a son — who,  however,  was  immediately 
taken  away  from  her  and  its  existence  kept  a profound 

1 Memoires  de  Mademoiselle  de  Montpensier  (edit.  Cheruel),  iv.  58 
et  seq. 

2 Madame  de  Longueville  to  Madame  de  Sable,  September  15,  1667, 
quoted  in  Victor  Cousin’s  Madame  de  Sable  (edit.  1854,  p.  387). 

56 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


secret  for  some  months.  The  poor  mother,  in  ignorance 
of  what  fate  was  in  store  for  him,  was  in  despair  ; but  the 
King  heartlessly  refused  to  relieve  her  anxiety  until  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1669,  when  he  acknowledged  the 
boy  and  legitimated  him  under  the  title  of  the  Comte  de 
Vermandois.1 

Meanwhile  the  suspicions  of  the  Court  as  to  the  relations 
existing  between  Louis  and  Madame  de  Montespan  had 
given  way  to  certainty.  In  February  1668  Moliere’s 
comedy,  “ Amphitryon,”  was  performed  for  the  first  time, 
in  which  the  audience  thought  that  they  detected  more 
than  one  allusion  to  the  subject  which  had  formed  the 
principal  topic  of  conversation  for  many  weeks  past.  The 
lines  : 

“ Un  partage  avec  Jupiter 
N’a  rien  du  tout  qui  deshonore, 

Et  sans  doute  il  ne  peut  etre  glorieux 
De  se  voir  le  rival  du  souverain  des  dieux  ” 

were  generally  regarded  as  a delicate  hint  to  the  injured 
husband  to  make  the  best  of  the  situation,  and  were 
greeted  with  a burst  of  merriment  by  the  assembled 
courtiers. 

If  Louis  XIV.  really  flattered  himself  that  Montespan 
would  regard  the  affair  from  the  poet’s  standpoint,  he 
was  speedily  undeceived.  The  young  man  was  very  far 
from  disposed  to  share  with  Jupiter,  or  any  one  else  for 
that  matter,  and,  in  spite  of  the  entreaties  of  his  needy 
old  father,  the  Marquis  d’Antin,  who,  on  hearing  of  his 
daughter-in-law’s  dishonour,  exclaimed,  “ God  be  praised ! 
Here  is  Fortune  at  last  knocking  at  my  door ! ” resolutely 

1 The  Princess  Palatine  ascribes  the  King’s  conduct  to  the  fact  that 
Madame  de  Montespan  had  persuaded  him  that  the  child  was  not  his, 
but  the  Comte  de  Lauzun’s. 


57 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


declined  to  accept  the  role  of  complaisant  husband,  and 
proceeded  to  raise  a scandal. 

Poor  Montespan’s  contemporaries,  with  whom,  for 
some  reason,  he  appears  to  have  been  anything  but 
popular,  do  not  hesitate  to  attribute  his  conduct  to  the 
basest  motives,  and  to  hint  that  he  would  have  been  com- 
plaisant enough  had  the  King  been  willing  to  purchase 
his  silence.  “ He  was  regarded  as  a knave  and  a fool,” 
says  Madame  de  Caylus.  “ If  he  had  only  taken  his  wife 
away  from  Court,  the  King,  although  so  amorous  of  her, 
would  have  been  powerless  to  exercise  his  authority 
against  that  of  a husband.  But  M.  de  Montespan,  so  far 
from  making  use  of  his,  thought  only  of  how  the  occasion 
might  be  turned  to  his  own  advantage  ” 1 ; while  the 
Princess  Palatine  assures  us  that  Montespan  was  “wholly 
worthless,”  and  gives  it  as  her  opinion  that  “ if  the  King 
had  been  willing  to  pay  him  a good  round  sum,  he  would 
have  been  appeased.”  2 

Whether  this  was  the  case  or  not,3  it  is  certain  that 
Montespan  was  for  several  years  a veritable  thorn  in  the 
side  of  the  royal  libertine.  Not  content  with  “complaining 
to  every  one  of  the  friendship  of  the  King  for  his  wife,” 
and  telling  the  lady  in  pretty  plain  terms  what  he  thought 

1 Souvenirs  de  Madame  de  Caylus  (edit.  1889),  p.  122. 

2 Correspondance  complete  de  Madame  la  Princessc  Palatine , ii.  292. 

3 M.  Lair,  in  his  Louise  de  La  Valliere  et  la  jeunesse  de  Louis  XIV., 
mentions  a pamphlet  of  the  time  which  places  a more  charitable 
construction  upon  Montespan’s  conduct.  It  contains  an  account  of 
an  imaginary  conversation  between  the  Marquis  and  Lord  Castlemaine, 
the  husband  of  the  lady  for  whom  Charles  II.  had  so  great  a regard. 
The  Englishman  takes  a philosophical  view  of  his  wife’s  infidelity  ; 
Montespan,  on  the  other  hand,  is  represented  as  consumed  with  shame 
and  jealousy.  We  are  inclined  to  think  that  this  lampoon  comes  far 
nearer  the  truth  than  the  statements  of  Madame  de  Caylus  and  the 
Princess  Palatine. 


58 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


of  her  behaviour,  he  went  to  Saint-Germain  and  provoked 
scenes  with  Louis  himself. 

“ He  used  to  come  very  often  to  see  me,”  says 
Mademoiselle ; “ he  was  a relative  of  mine,  and  I remon- 
strated with  him.  One  evening  he  came  and  repeated  to 
me  an  harangue  he  had  delivered  to  the  King,  in  which 
he  quoted  a thousand  passages  of  Scripture,  about  David 
and  so  forth,  and  ended  by  making  use  of  very  forcible 
language  to  induce  him  to  restore  his  wife  and  fear  the 
judgment  of  God.  ...  I was  at  Saint-Germain  the 
following  day,  and  I said  to  Madame  de  Montespan, 
‘ Come  for  a drive  with  me  ; I have  seen  your  husband  in 
Paris,  and  he  is  madder  than  ever.  I scolded  him  sharply 
and  told  him  that  if  he  does  not  hold  his  tongue,  he  will 
deserve  to  be  locked  up.’  She  replied,  ‘ He  is  here  telling 
his  tales  at  Court.  I am  quite  ashamed  to  see  that  my 
parrot  and  he  are  amusing  the  mob.’  ” 1 

Although,  as  we  have  mentioned,  the  old  Marquis 
d’Antin  was  inclined  to  regard  the  affair  as  a piece  of 
good  fortune  for  his  family,  and,  doubtless,  considered  his 
son  a fool  for  his  pains,  Montespan  found  a warm  supporter 
in  another  relative,  his  uncle,  Louis  Henri  de  Gondrin, 
Archbishop  of  Sens.  This  prelate,  who  had  as  a young 
man  been  notorious  for  the  irregularity  of  his  life,  was 
now  almost  as  remarkable  for  his  austerity,  and  “charitably 
desired  to  protect  his  family  from  the  sins  against  which 
he  had  failed  to  protect  himself.”  Accordingly,  no  sooner 
was  he  informed  of  what  had  occurred,  than  he  sentenced 
to  public  penance  a woman  of  the  town,  who  lived  as  the 
marchioness,  his  niece,  was  doing,  in  open  concubinage, 
and  caused  the  publication  throughout  his  diocese  of  the 
old  canons  against  the  violation  of  the  religious  law. 

1 Memoires  de  Mademoiselle  de  Montpensier  (edit.  Cheruel),  iv.  15 1. 

59 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Now,  it  happened,  by  a strange  and,  for  Madame  de 
Montespan,  a singularly  awkward  coincidence,  that  the 
Court  was  then  at  Fontainebleau,  which  was  situated  in 
the  diocese  of  Sens.  The  consequence  was  that  every  one 
believed  that  it  was  the  King’s  new  mistress  who  was 
being  pointed  at,  and  many  were  the  conjectures  as  to 
what  would  follow.  The  general  opinion  was  that  the 
favourite  would  demand  the  disgrace  of  the  rash  prelate, 
and  the  latter’s  friends  trembled  for  his  safety.  Their 
apprehensions,  however,  were  unfounded  ; for  although 
Louis  and  his  mistress  tried  to  carry  matters  with  a high 
hand,  they  found  more  than  their  match  in  the  archbishop. 

In  order  to  punish  him  for  his  presumption,  the  King 
sent  him  a peremptory  order  prohibiting  him  from  leaving 
the  town  of  Sens.  But  the  archbishop,  strong  in  the 
justice  of  his  cause,  ignored  the  royal  command  and, 
shortly  afterwards,  paid  a pastoral  visit  to  Fontainebleau. 
On  the  clergy  expressing  their  astonishment  at  his  hardi- 
hood, he  replied  that  no  one,  not  even  his  sovereign,  had 
the  right  to  prevent  him  exercising  his  episcopal  functions, 
and  that  if  the  King  compelled  him  by  force  to  return  to 
Sens,  he  would  excommunicate  both  him  and  Madame 
de  Montespan.  When  this  was  repeated  to  Louis,  he 
shrugged  his  shoulders  and  remarked,  “ He  will  be  as 
good  as  his  word.” 

Madame  de  Montespan,  although  boiling  with  rage  at 
the  insult  put  upon  her,  shrank  from  provoking  a struggle 
with  ecclesiastical  authority,  for  which,  as  she  well  knew, 
Louis,  even  in  the  midst  of  his  irregularities,  always  retained 
the  most  profound  respect.  She,  therefore,  decided  to 
leave  Fontainebleau,  nor  did  she  ever  venture  to  return 
thither  until  after  the  death  of  the  archbishop,  which 
occurred  in  1674. 


60 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


While  his  uncle  was  engaged  in  bearding  the  King,  the 
Marquis  de  Montespan  had  turned  the  whole  weight  of  his 
wrath  upon  Madame  de  Montausier,  whose  complaisance 
at  Avesnes  and  Compi£gne  had  contributed  not  a little  to 
expedite  the  marchioness’s  fall — or  triumph.  The  husband 
of  “ the  incomparable  Julie,”  as  the  habitu&s  of  the  Hotel 
de  Rambouillet  had  been  wont  to  call  her,  had  recently  been 
appointed  governor  to  the  Dauphin,  an  honour  which  some 
writers  assert  he  owed  to  the  duchess’s  recent  services, 
though  we  prefer  to  believe  that  it  was  in  recognition  of 
the  admirable  courage  and  presence  of  mind  he  had  ex- 
hibited as  governor  of  Normandy  while  the  plague  was 
devastating  that  province.  A number  of  ladies  had  called 
upon  Madame  de  Montausier  to  felicitate  her  upon  the 
distinction  which  the  duke  had  received,  when,  suddenly, 
Montespan  entered  unannounced  and,  striding  up  to  the 
astonished  dame  d'honneur,  poured  forth  a torrent  of 
reproaches,  accusing  her  of  stooping  to  play  the  degrading 
role  of  entremetteuse  in  the  King’s  amours,  and  of  deliber- 
ately encouraging  his  wife’s  misconduct.  Then,  having 
relieved  his  pent-up  feelings  a little  by  this  outburst,  he 
turned  on  his  heel  and  quitted  the  room  as  abruptly  as  he 
had  entered  it. 

When  Madame  de  Montespan  and  Mademoiselle , who 
had  hastened  to  the  duchess’s  apartments  the  moment  they 
were  informed  of  what  had  taken  place,  arrived  on  the 
scene,  they  found  the  old  lady  lying  on  her  bed,  trembling 
with  rage  and  scarcely  able  to  speak.  After  she  had  grown 
a little  calmer,  she  told  them  that  “ she  thanked  God  that 
there  had  only  been  women  present,  for  if  there  had  been 
a man  in  the  room,  she  felt  sure  that  he  would  have  thrown 
M.  de  Montespan  out  of  the  window.”  Madame  de 
Montausier,  in  fact,  seems  to  have  been  the  principal  sufferer 

61 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


by  the  intrigue,  and  expiated  to  the  full  the  share  she  had 
taken  in  bringing  it  about.  She  was  in  bad  health  at  the 
time,  suffering  from  a nervous  affection,  the  result,  if 
Mademoiselle  is  to  be  believed,  of  an  encounter  with  an 
apparition  in  a dark  passage  at  the  Tuileries,  and  her 
mortification  at  having  been  so  cruelly  humiliated  before 
her  friends  greatly  aggravated  her  complaint.  Towards 
the  end  of  1669,  she  resigned  her  post  of  dame  d'honneur 
and  retired  from  Court,  and  died  two  years  later  at  the 
age  of  sixty-four. 

As  Montespan  refused  to  be  quiet,  the  King,  losing 
patience,  had  him  arrested  and  incarcerated  in  For 
l’Ev£que,  from  which,  however,  he  was  liberated  a few 
days  later  on  giving  an  undertaking  to  retire  at  once  to 
his  estates.  He  kept  his  word,  but  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  of  a final  parade  of  his  woes,  and,  accordingly, 
clothed  himself,  his  children,  and  his  servants  in  the 
deepest  mourning,  and  then  drove  to  Court  in  a coach 
draped  in  black,  and  took  leave,  with  great  ceremony,  of 
his  relatives  and  friends.  This  somewhat  theatrical  method 
of  inviting  public  sympathy  was  not  without  its  effect, 
especially  upon  the  middle  class  of  Paris,  and  caused 
Louis,  who,  in  spite  of  his  despotic  ideas,  attached  con- 
siderable value  to  the  good  opinion  of  even  the  humblest 
of  his  subjects,  keen  annoyance.  It  is,  therefore,  scarcely 
surprising  that  when,  not  long  afterwards,  an  incident 
occurred  which  afforded  him  an  opportunity  of  retaliating 
upon  Montespan  that  he  should  have  hastened  to  take 
advantage  of  it. 

In  the  autumn  of  1669,  a body  of  soldiers  belonging  to 
a cavalry  regiment  in  which  the  marquis  held  a commission 
had  a dispute  with  the  under-bailiff  of  Perpignan,  in  the 
course  of  which  hard  words,  if  not  hard  knocks,  were 

62 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


exchanged.  The  affair  was  of  very  trifling  importance, 
so  trifling,  indeed,  that  neither  the  civil  nor  the  military 
authorities  of  the  district  had  deemed  it  necessary  to  take 
any  steps  to  punish  the  delinquents,  and,  in  all  probability, 
it  would  have  soon  been  forgotten  had  not  some  busybody 
sent  an  anonymous  letter  to  Louvois,  the  Minister  for 
War,1  acquainting  him  with  what  had  occurred,  and  men- 
tioning that  the  officer  in  command  of  the  soldiers  was 
the  Marquis  de  Montespan.  Thereupon,  Louvois,  doubt- 
less acting  upon  instructions  from  the  King,  wrote  to  the 
Intendant  of  Roussillon  the  following  letter  : 

Louvois  to  the  Intendant  of  Roussillon. 

“ Monsieur  de  Maqueron, — I am  informed  that  a 
scandalous  brawl  has  taken  place  between  the  troopers  of 
M.  de  Montespan’s  company  and  the  people  of  the  under- 
bailiff of  Perpignan.  I am  astonished  that  you  should  have 
failed  to  transmit  to  me  any  information  in  regard  to  this 
affair,  and  must  request  you  to  repair,  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment,  what  can  only  be  the  result  of  an  oversight  on 
your  part.  You  must  be  careful  to  omit  nothing,  whether 
in  the  informations  of  the  under-bailiff,  or  in  those 
relating  to  the  disorders  committed  at  Ille,  which  may 
help  to  implicate  the  commander  of  the  company 
and  the  largest  possible  number  of  troopers,  to  the  end 
that  they  may  take  alarm  and  the  majority  desert, 
especially  the  commander,  after  which  it  should  not  be  a 
difficult  matter  to  bring  about  the  ruin  of  the  company. 

1 It  is,  strictly  speaking,  incorrect  to  refer  to  Louvois  as  War  Minister 
at  this  period.  Michel  Le  Tellier  was  still  nominally  head  of  the 
War  Office,  and  remained  so  until  appointed  Chancellor  in  1677.  But 
since  1666  the  latter  had  practically  delegated  his  duties  to  his  son,  for 
whom  some  years  before  he  had  purchased  the  survivorship  of  the  post. 

63 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


If  you  are  acquainted  with  the  names  of  the  troopers  who 
insulted  the  under-bailiff,  they  must  be  arrested  at  once, 
in  order  to  make  an  example  of  them,  and  so  that  you 
may  have  from  their  depositions,  at  the  time  of  their 
execution,  further  proofs  and  charges  against  the  captain — 
to  endeavour,  in  some  way  or  other,  to  implicate  him  in  the 
informations,  to  the  intent  that  he  may  be  cashiered  with 
some  appearance  of  justice.  If  you  could  contrive  that 
the  charges  against  him  are  sufficiently  grave  for  the 
Supreme  Council  of  Roussillon  to  pronounce  some  con- 
demnation upon  him,  it  would  be  an  excellent  thing. 

“You  will  be  able  to  divine  the  reasons  well  enough, 
however  poorly  informed  you  may  be  of  what  is  going  on 
in  this  part  of  the  world.  I beg  you  to  leave  no  stone 
unturned  to  carry  out  my  wishes  in  this  matter,  to  give 
me  all  the  ordinary  news  in  a separate  letter  written  in 
your  own  hand,  and  to  return  this  one  to  me. 

“ Louvois.1 

“At  Chambord,  September  21,  1669.” 

The  Supreme  Council  summoned  Montespan  and  the 
other  delinquents  before  it.  None  of  the  defendants, 
however,  put  in  an  appearance,  and,  on  January  10,  1670, 
judgment  went  against  them  by  default.  We  have,  un- 
fortunately, no  means  of  ascertaining  the  punishment 
inflicted  ; but,  as  the  writ  issued  against  one  La  Grave 
states  that  he  would  be  liable  to  a fine  of  twenty-five 

1 Quoted  in  Clement’s  Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIV.,  p.  380. 
The  original  of  this  letter  was  duly  returned  to  the  War  Minister, 
according  to  his  instructions,  and  no  doubt  at  once  destroyed  by  him  ; 
but  the  Intendant  took  the  precaution  of  making  a copy  of  it,  a 
fortunate  circumstance,  since  it  affords  a highly  instructive  commentary 
on  the  manner  in  which  justice  was  administered  under  le  Grand 
Monarque. 


6f 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


livres  per  diem  until  he  obeyed  the  mandate  of  the  court, 
it  was  probably  a pecuniary  penalty.  As  for  the  marquis, 
he  decided  that  the  wisest  course  was  to  put  the  Pyrenees 
between  himself  and  the  King’s  “justice,”  and  took  refuge 
in  Spain,  “ accompanied  by  the  wife  of  a councillor  of 
Toulouse,  who  cherished  a regard  for  him,”  and  whose 
society,  it  may  be  presumed,  helped  to  console  him  in  his 
exile. 


65 


e 


CHAPTER  V 


Secret  of  the  ascendency  of  La  Valliere — Secret  of  that  of 
Madame  de  Montespan — The  ascendency  of  the  latter 
coincides  with  the  zenith  of  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV. — Birth 
of  a daughter — Birth  of  the  Due  du  Maine — Secrecy  observed 
on  these  occasions — Madame  de  Montespan  brings  a demand 
for  a separation  from  her  husband  before  the  Chatelet — The 
court  reluctant  to  grant  her  request — But  eventually  does  so, 
under  pressure  from  the  King — Terms  of  the  decree — 
Louis  XIV.  still  in  dread  of  the  Marquis  de  Montespan — 
Curious  correspondence  between  the  King  and  Colbert  in 
regard  to  the  marquis. 

The  reign  of  Madame  de  La  Valliere  had  lasted  six  years; 
that  of  Madame  de  Montespan  was  to  endure  for  just 
twice  as  long.  Paradoxical  as  it  may  seem,  it  was  to  her 
very  simplicity,  her  very  weakness,  far  more  than  to  any 
of  those  qualities  which  have  endeared  her  to  posterity, 
that  La  Valliere  was  indebted  for  her  ascendency.  She 
was  so  submissive,  so  timid,  so  grateful  for  every  kind 
word  and  look  that  her  royal  lover  deigned  to  bestow 
upon  her,  that  Louis’s  passion  for  her  had  partaken  of  the 
nature  of  protection,  and  he  was  thus  enabled  to  gratify 
his  love  and  his  insatiable  vanity  at  one  and  the  same  time. 
“ He  reigned  where  sometimes  kings  cease  to  reign,  and 
commanded  in  circumstanceswhere  even  the  most  imperious 
are  forced  to  obey.”  Not  until  the  convent  doors  had 
closed  upon  her,  not  until  she  was  lost  to  him  for  ever, 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


did  he  realise  all  that  he  had  cast  from  him.  Never  again 
was  he  to  meet  with  a woman  whose  only  ambition  was 
to  be  permitted  to  worship  him.  Never  again  was  this 
sublime  egotist  to  be  afforded  such  delightful  opportu- 
nities for  adoring  himself  under  the  delusion  that  he  was 
adoring  another. 

Madame  de  Montespan,  in  nearly  every  respect  the 
exact  antithesis  of  the  woman  whom  she  had  supplanted, 
also  strongly  appealed  to  Louis’s  vanity,  though  in  a 
different  way.  “ He  does  not  love  me,”  she  said  one  day, 
in  a burst  of  confidence,  “ but  he  thinks  it  a duty  he  owes 
to  himself  to  have  the  most  beautiful  woman  in  his 
kingdom  for  his  mistress.”  Here,  in  this  single  sentence, 
in  all  probability,  we  have  the  main  secret  of  that  empire 
which  the  haughty  marchioness  enjoyed  for  twelve  years, 
at  first  in  secret  and  sparingly,  then  “ thunderous  and 
triumphant,”  as  Madame  de  Sevign6  expresses  it,  boldly 
defying  the  devots , the  moralists,  and  the  envious  courtiers 
of  both  sexes  to  wrest  it  from  her.  If,  now  and  again, 
clouds  covered  the  sky,  they  quickly  dispersed,  and  the 
sun  shone  forth  all  the  more  radiantly  for  its  temporary 
eclipse. 

The  period  of  her  ascendency,  it  is  interesting  to  note, 
almost  exactly  coincides  with  the  zenith  of  the  age  of 
Louis  XIV.  ; the  era  when  the  Monarchy  reached  its 
giddiest  height,  and  noble  and  prelate  cringed  before  the 
King  as  before  the  vicegerent  of  the  Almighty  ; when 
the  armies  of  France  marched  from  victory  to  victory, 
and  Europe,  amazed  and  paralysed,  trembled  at  Louis’s 
frown.  The  era,  too,  when  Moliere  and  Racine  composed 
their  masterpieces,  when  Mignard  painted  his  finest 
portraits,  and  Bossuet  delivered  his  most  eloquent  orations. 
And  those  who  gaze  to-day  upon  Picquart’s  wonderful 

67 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


engraving,  and  contemplate  that  cascade  of  sunny  curls, 
those  exquisite  features,  that  haughty  and  imperious  air, 
are  fain  to  admit  that  of  that  most  splendid  epoch 
Madame  de  Montespan  is  no  unworthy  representative, 
and  to  recall  the  words  of  an  enthusiastic  historian,  “ Voild 
la  reine , la  vraie  reine , une  majeste  digne  de  Louis  XIV.  /” 


In  the  early  spring  of  1669  Madame  de  Montespan  set 
the  seal  upon  her  dishonour  by  giving  birth  to  the  first  of 
the  seven  children  she  bore  the  King,1  a daughter,  who, 
however,  only  lived  three  years,  and  at  Saint-Germain, 
on  March  31,  1670,  a son,  the  future  Due  du  Maine, 
made  his  entrance  into  the  world.  On  both  occasions 
the  utmost  secrecy  was  observed,  the  Due  du  Maine, 
immediately  after  he  was  born,  being  wrapped  up  in  a 
shawl  and  confided  to  the  care  of  the  King’s  favourite, 
the  Comte  de  Lauzun,  who  carried  him  concealed  beneath 

1 Here  is  the  list  : 

1.  A daughter,  born  in  1669  (probably  in  March)  ; died  at  the 

age  of  three. 

2.  The  Due  du  Maine,  born  March  31,  1670;  married  March  19, 

1692,  to  Mademoiselle  de  Bourbon-Charolais ; died  in  1736. 

3.  The  Comte  de  Vexin,  born  June  20,  1672  ; died  in  1683. 

4.  Mademoiselle  de  Nantes,  born  June  1,  1673  ; married  in 

1685  to  the  Due  de  Bourbon  ; died  in  1743. 

5.  Mademoiselle  de  Tours,  born  in  1674;  died  September  15, 

1681. 

6.  Mademoiselle  de  Blois,  born  June  1677  ; married  February  1692 

to  the  Due  de  Chartres  (the  future  Regent)  ; died  in  1749. 

The  daughter  of  Madame  de  La  Valliere,  whom  Louis  XIV. 

legitimated  in  1667,  and  who,  in  1680,  married  the  Prince  de 

Conti,  was  also  called  Mademoiselle  de  Blois. 

7.  The  Comte  de  Toulouse,  born  in  1678  ; married  in  1728  to 

Mademoiselle  de  Noailles,  widow  of  the  Marquis  de  Gondrin  ; 

died  in  1737. 


68 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


his  cloak  to  a coach  which  was  waiting  in  the  park  to  take 
them  to  Paris. 

In  the  following  July  Louis  XIV.  caused  a demand  for 
a separation  de  corps  et  de  biens , formulated  by  Madame 
de  Montespan,  to  be  brought  before  the  Chatelet.  The 
reasons  adduced  were  the  wasting  of  their  common  pro- 
perty by  the  marquis,  domestic  discord  ( mauvais  menage ), 
and  ill-treatment  of  the  marchioness  by  her  husband.  The 
machinery  of  the  law,  however,  worked  even  more 
slowly  in  the  seventeenth  century  than  in  our  own  day, 
in  addition  to  which  the  Chatelet  was  not  unnatu- 
rally reluctant  to  commit  the  iniquity  demanded  of  it; 
and  it  was  not  until  four  years  later  (July  7,  1674),  and 
after  considerable  pressure  had  been  brought  to  bear  upon 
the  members  of  the  court  by  the  King  and  his  Ministers, 
that  the  desired  separation  was  pronounced  by  the  pro- 
cureur-g&n&ral , Achille  de  Harlay,  assisted  by  six  judges. 

“ The  said  dame  de  Montespan,”  ran  the  wording  of 
the  decree,  “ is  and  will  remain  separated  from  the 
property  and  habitation  of  her  husband,  whom  we  have 
prohibited  from  any  longer  cohabiting  with  or  approaching 
her.”  The  marquis  was  also  ordered  to  restore  the  dowry 
of  60,000  livres  he  had  received  with  his  wife,  and  to 
provide  her  with  alimony  to  the  amount  of  4000  livres, 
“ payable  quarterly,  and  in  advance.”  On  appeal,  however, 
it  was  decided  that  the  dot  should  not  be  repayable  until 
after  Montespan’s  death,  when,  in  the  event  of  his  wife 
having  predeceased  him,  it  was  to  revert  to  their  two 
children  ; while  the  marchioness,  with  a great  show  of 
magnanimity,  surrendered  her  alimony  in  favour  of  her 
offspring,  “ never  having  had  any  intention  of  causing  by 
her  demand  for  a separation  the  breaking-up  of  the 
establishment  of  the  said  lord  her  husband,  but,  on  the 

69 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


contrary,  being  desirous  of  contributing  as  far  as  possible 
to  maintain  the  dignity  of  his  household,  and  to  pro- 
vide his  said  children  with  an  education  befitting  their 
rank.” 

The  decree  of  separation  which  Louis  had  succeeded  in 
wringing  from  the  reluctant  Chatelet  was  far  from  assuring 
him  peace  of  mind.  What  difficulties  subsequently  arose 
we  cannot  tell ; but  some  correspondence  which  passed 
between  his  Majesty  and  his  faithful  Minister,  Colbert, 
in  the  spring  of  1678,  proves  that  the  King  was  convinced 
that  it  was  still  in  the  power  of  the  man  whom  he  had  so 
cruelly  injured  to  avenge  his  wrongs.  In  May  of  that 
year,  the  Marquis  de  Montespan  had  come  to  Paris  in 
connection  with  a lawsuit  which  he  was  prosecuting  before 
the  Parliament.  Louis,  however,  evidently  considered  his 
presence  in  the  capital  highly  suspicious,  and  we  find  him 
writing  to  Colbert  as  follows: — 

Louis  XIV.  to  Colbert. 

“Camp  at  Diense, 

“ May  1 7,  1678. 

“ I omitted  to  tell  you  before  I left  that  as  M.  de 
Montespan  is  in  Paris,  it  would  be  well  to  keep  him  under 
observation.  He  is  a madman  capable  of  any  extrava- 
gance. I desire  you,  therefore,  to  note  what  he  is  doing, 
what  people  he  mixes  with,  and  what  conversation  he 
holds.  In  a word,  keep  yourself  thoroughly  well  informed 
as  to  his  movements,  and  if  anything  which  you  consider 
of  importance  occurs,  let  me  know.” 

To  which  the  Minister  replies: — 


70 


JEAN  BAPTISTE  COLBERT 

(Marquise  de  Seignelay) 

From  on  Engraving  after  the  Painting  by  Philippe  de  Champaigne 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Colbert  to  Louis  XIV. 

“ Sceaux,  May  24,  1678. 

“ I received  yesterday,  Sire,  Your  Majesty’s  communi- 
cation of  the  17th,  and  I have  executed  without  delay  the 
commands  which  Your  Majesty  has  been  pleased  to  lay 
upon  me  on  the  subject  of  M.  de  Montespan.  In  refer- 
ence to  this  matter,  I think  it  right  that  you  should  be 
informed  that  about  three  or  four  years  ago  I received 
instructions  from  you  to  expedite  the  decision  of  an  action 
which  he  was  bringing  before  the  Parliament,  so  as  to 
deprive  him  of  that  reason,  or  pretext,  for  remaining  in 
Paris.  I executed  Your  Majesty’s  order  ; his  action  was 
adjudicated  upon,  and  he  took  his  departure,  as  I was 
given  to  understand. 

“ About  a fortnight  ago,  I went  to  see  the  Archbishop 
of  Sens,  in  reference  to  the  Abbey  of  Lys,1  which  Your 
Majesty  has  been  pleased  to  bestow  on  my  sister.  As  I 
was  leaving  his  house,  M.  de  Montespan  accosted  me  and 
begged  me  to  recommend  a second  time  to  M.  deNovion2 
a lawsuit  of  his  which  was  then  going  on,  and  the  decision 
of  which  he  was  awaiting  ere  retiring  to  his  province.  But 
I did  not  comply  with  his  request,  as  I considered  that 
I ought  not  to  meddle  in  his  affairs  without  instructions. 

“ If  Your  Majesty  deems  it  advisable  that  the  Sieur  de 
Novion  should  make  use  of  this  expedition,  perhaps  he 
(Montespan)  will  then  take  his  departure.  However,  I 
will  execute  Your  Majesty’s  commands.” 

The  King’s  rejoinder,  scribbled  in  the  margin  of 
Colbert’s  letter,  was  brief  and  to  the  point : — 

1 An  abbey  of  the  Benedictine  Order,  near  Melun. 

2 First  President  of  the  Parliament  of  Paris. 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 
Louis  XIV.  to  Colbert. 

“Camp  at  Nuder, 

“ May  28,  1678. 

“ You  may  give  the  judge  a hint  to  finish  M.  de 
Montespan’s  business,  so  that  he  may  take  his  departure 
sooner.” 

Doubtless,  Colbert  lost  no  time  in  giving  the  desired 
hint  to  the  presiding  judge ; doubtless,  too,  that  functionary 
did  all  in  his  power  to  oblige  his  royal  master.  But  the 
action  in  question  seems  to  have  been  a somewhat  com- 
plicated one,  and  dragged  on,  as  lawsuits  have  a way  of 
doing;  while,  in  the  meantime,  rumours  of  a disquieting 
nature  must  have  reached  Louis,  for  in  the  middle  of 
June  Colbert  received  another  letter. 

Louis  XIV.  to  Colbert. 

“ Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 

“ June  1 5,  1678. 

“ I am  informed  that  M.  de  Montespan  is  indulging  in 
indiscreet  talk.  He  is  a madman  whom  you  will  do  me 
the  pleasure  to  have  closely  watched;  and,  in  order  that 
he  may  no  longer  have  any  pretext  for  remaining  in  Paris, 
see  Novion,  so  that  the  Parliament  may  hasten. 

“ I know  that  Montespan  has  threatened  to  see  his 
wife.  As  he  is  capable  of  it,  and  as  the  consequences 
might  be  alarming,  I count  on  you  to  take  care  that  he 
does  not  make  a scene. 

“ Do  not  forget  the  details  of  this  matter;  and 
especially  see  that  he  leaves  Paris  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment.”  1 

1 Quoted  in  Clement’s  Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIV.,  p.  248 

et  seq. 


72 


CHAPTER  VI 

Singular  conduct  of  Madame  de  La  Valliere — Probable  ex- 
planation— Reasons  which  induced  Louis  XIV.  to  compel 
her  to  remain  at  Court — “ Chez,  les  Dames  ” — Cruel  humilia- 
tions inflicted  on  La  Valliere — She  flies  to  the  Couvent  de 
Sainte-Marie  at  Chaillot  — Unsuccessful  attempts  of  the 
Comte  de  Lauzun  and  Marechal  de  Bellefonds  to  induce  her 
to  return — Her  message  to  Louis  XIV. — The  King  sends 
Colbert  to  Chaillot — La  Valliere  returns- — Relief  of  the  King 
— Pretended  delight  of  Madame  de  Montespan — Opinions  of  la 
Grande  Mademoiselle  and  Madame  de  Scudery  on  the  situation  — 
Opinion  of  Bussy-Rabutin — The  King  insists  on  La  Valliere 
accompanying  the  Court  to  Flanders — Curious  instructions  of 
Louvois  to  the  Intendant  of  Dunkerque. 

And  what  of  Madame  de  La  Valliere  ? 

The  part  played  by  Louise  de  La  Valliere  in  the  interval 
between  the  triumph  of  Madame  de  Montespan  and  her 
final  retirement  to  the  Carmelites  in  April  1774  seems, 
at  first  sight,  well-nigh  inexplicable.  Remembering  her 
exquisitely  sensitive  nature,  remembering  how  passionately 
she  had  loved  the  King,  one  would  naturally  have  expected 
that  the  moment  all  doubt  as  to  the  relations  between 
Louis  and  Madame  de  Montespan  had  been  set  at  rest  she 
would  have  seized  the  first  opportunity  to  retire  from 
Court. 

Madame  de  La  Valliere  did  nothing  of  the  kind.  She 
remained  on  the  stage  where  she  had  so  long  filled  the 

73 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


principal  role  ; she  made  no  change  in  her  mode  of  life  ; 
she  continued  to  assist,  with  a smile  on  her  lips,  if  with 
anguish  at  her  heart,  at  ballets,  fetes,  and  other  amusements 
of  the  Court,  seemingly  indifferent  to  the  fact  that  these 
diversions  were  no  longer  organised  in  her  honour,  but  in 
that  of  another.  Nay,  she  did  more  than  that.  She 
lived  on  what  were,  to  all  appearance,  terms  of  the  closest 
intimacy  with  her  successful  rival,  occupying  apartments 
communicating  with  hers  at  the  Tuileries,  riding  in  the 
same  carriage,1  and  even  standing  sponsor  to  one  of  her 
illegitimate  children.2 

What  is  the  explanation  of  her  conduct  ? 

By  far  the  most  feasible  one  that  we  have  been  able  to 
discover  is  that  given  by  the  lady’s  biographer,  M.  Jules 
Lair.  He  says  : 

“ The  King  held  La  Valliere  bound  by  a tie  far  stronger 
than  that  of  a woman’s  passion  for  a man — the  love  of  a 
mother  for  her  son.  The  little  boy  born  at  Saint-Germain 
in  1667  was  not  recognised  until  February  1669.  No 
provision,  moreover,  was  made  for  his  future  until  the 
end  of  the  year,  when  the  King  at  length  decided  to  confer 
upon  him  the  office  of  Admiral  of  France,  vacant  by  the 


1 Francois  Maucroix,  canon  of  Rheims,  who  was  at  Fontainebleau 
in  August  1670,  relates  the  following  incident  in  his  Memoires: 
“ M.  Barrois  and  myself,  having  noticed  his  Majesty’s  carriages  standing 
in  the  Oval  Court,  waited  nearly  an  hour,  and  at  length  saw  the  King 
enter  his  caleche.  Madame  de  La  Valliere  stepped  in  first,  the  King 
next,  and  then  Madame  de  Montespan.  All  three  sat  on  the  same 
seat,  for  the  caleche  was  a very  large  one.  La  Valliere  seemed  to  me 
very  pretty,  and  stouter  than  I had  imagined  her  to  be.  I thought 
Madame  de  Montespan  extremely  beautiful  ; her  complexion  was 
particularly  admirable.” — Memoires  de  Fr.  Maucroix,  ii.  33. 

2 To  Mademoiselle  de  Nantes,  afterwards  Duchesse  de  Bourbon, 
baptized  December  1673  (see  p.  100,  note  infra). 

74 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


presumed  death  of  M.  de  Beaufort.1  Madame  de  La 
Valliere’s  fortune  was  always  more  apparent  than  real. 
The  income  derived  from  Vaujours  was  very  small. 
Many  of  the  inhabitants  were  miserably  poor,  and  the 
duchess  was  so  kind-hearted  that  far  from  putting  pressure 
upon  her  vassals,  she  interceded  for  them.  Besides,  this 
estate  had  been  settled  upon  her  daughter  to  the  exclusion 
of  her  son.”  2 

That  is,  in  all  probability,  the  reason  why  the  discarded 
mistress  remained  at  Court  ; that  is  why  she  continued 
on  terms  of  apparent  amity  with  the  woman  who  had 
deceived  and  supplanted  her.  Unable  herself  to  make 
any  provision  for  her  little  son,  she  recognised  that  his 
future  must  entirely  depend  upon  the  good  pleasure  of 
his  royal  father,  and,  rather  than  prejudice  his  interests, 
she  made  up  her  mind  to  endure  what  to  her  sensitive 
nature  must  have  seemed  little  short  of  purgatory. 

But  why,  it  may  be  asked,  did  Louis  desire  her  to 
remain  ? Why  did  he  compel  this  woman,  whom  he  had 
loved,  or  imagined  he  had  loved,  for  six  long  years,  to 
allow  herself  to  be  bound,  so  to  speak,  to  the  chariot 
wheels  of  her  triumphant  rival  ? The  question  is 
answered  by  Bussy-Rabutin  in  a letter  to  Madame  de 
Montmorency : “ He  required  a cloak  for  his  relations 
with  Madame  de  Montespan.”  3 

Louis  did  not  attempt  to  conceal  from  himself  the  fact 
that  his  intrigue  with  Madame  de  Montespan  stood  on  a 

1 Francis  de  Vendome,  Due  de  Beaufort.  He  had  been  sent  at 
the  head  of  a French  force  to  succour  Candia,  which  was  besieged  by 
the  Turks,  and  was  killed  in  a sortie  on  the  night  of  June  25,  1669. 
His  body  was  never  recovered,  and  for  some  time  an  idea  seems  to  have 
prevailed  that  he  was  not  dead,  but  a prisoner  in  Turkey. 

2 Lair’s  Louise  de  La  V a/ Here  et  la  jeunesse  de  Louis  XIV.,  p.  206. 

3 Correspondance  de  Roger  de  Rabutin  (edit.  Lalanne),  i.  380. 

75 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


very  different  plane  from  that  with  La  Valliere.  In  the 
latter  case,  he  had  injured  no  one  but  poor  Maria  Theresa ; 
in  the  former,  he  had  cruelly  wronged  a member  of  his 
own  nobility,  and  one,  too,  who  was  very  far  from  inclined 
to  suffer  in  silence.  We  have  seen  that  so  late  as  the 
summer  of  1678,  four  years  after  Madame  de  Montespan 
had  been  judicially  separated  from  her  husband,  the  King 
had  still  reason  to  dread  the  vengeance  of  the  marquis. 
How  much  greater,  then,  must  have  been  his  fears  while 
Montespan’s  wounds  were  still  fresh,  and  while  he  was 
still  in  possession  of  all  the  rights  which  the  French  law 
gave  to  the  principal  party  in  the  marriage  contract!  At 
all  costs  Louis  felt  that  the  intrigue  must  be  disguised 
until  a decree  of  separation  had  been  obtained  and  the 
marquis  disarmed  or,  at  least,  deprived  of  his  most  dan- 
gerous weapons.  And  so,  to  avoid  public  scandal,  Madame 
de  La  Valliere  remained  publicly  the  King’s  mistress,  and 
when  his  Most  Christian  Majesty  desired  to  visit  Madame 
de  Montespan,  he  always  made  a rule  of  passing  through 
the  apartments  of  the  maitresse  declaree , which,  as  we  have 
mentioned,  communicated  with  them.  Soon  the  Court 
had  a mot  to  describe  the  situation.  Whenever  the  King 
went  ostensibly  to  visit  Madame  de  La  Valliere,  it  was 
said  that  he  had  gone  “ chez  les  Dames,"  implying  that  he 
had  gone  to  see  one  lady  in  order  to  see  the  other. 

Nothing  is  more  typical  of  that  coarseness  and  utter 
indifference  to  the  feelings  of  others  which  underlay  the 
polished  courtesy  of  which  we  read  so  much  than  Louis’s 
treatment  of  his  discarded  mistress,  whose  only  fault  had 
been  that  she  had  loved  him  too  well.  Madame  de 
Montespan,  either  because  she  had  reason  to  fear  that  a 
day  might  come  when  La  Valliere  would  regain  her 
ascendency  over  the  royal  heart,  or  more  probably  because 

76 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


hers  was  one  of  those  natures  which  take  a cruel  delight 
in  adding  insult  to  injury,  and  are  always  more  vindictive 
towards  those  who  they  themselves  have  wronged  than 
towards  those  who  have  wronged  them,  from  the  very 
first  resented  her  continuance  at  Court,  and  never  lost  an 
opportunity  of  exercising  her  biting  wit  at  the  fallen 
favourite’s  expense  ; while  Louis,  far  from  remonstrating 
with  his  mistress,  would  appear  to  have  ably  seconded  her. 
“ The  Montespan  woman,”  says  the  Princess  Palatine, 
“ derided  La  Valliere  in  public,  treated  her  abominably,  and 
obliged  the  King  to  do  likewise.”  How  intolerable  the 
situation  must  have  been  the  following  incident  will  serve 
to  show. 

One  day  Louis  was  passing  through  the  duchess’s 
apartments  en  route  for  those  of  Madame  de  Montespan, 
carrying  in  his  arms  a favourite  toy  spaniel.  Observing 
his  ex-mistress  gazing  wistfully  after  him,  he  turned  and 
tossed  the  little  dog  towards  her,  exclaiming  contemp- 
tuously, “ Here,  madame,  is  company  for  you  ! ” 

At  length  matters  came  to  such  a pass  that  La  Valliere’s 
fortitude  entirely  gave  way,  and  on  the  night  of  Shrove 
Tuesday  1671,  while  a grand  ball  was  in  progress,  she 
repaired  to  her  apartments,  exchanged  her  gorgeous  dress 
for  a simple  grey  gown,  and  fled  from  the  Tuileries  for 
the  second  time,  on  this  occasion  taking  refuge  at  the 
Couvent  de  Sainte- Marie,  at  Chaillot,  leaving  behind  her 
a letter  directed  to  the  King,  informing  him  of  her 
intention. 

Louis’s  conduct  on  learning  of  La  Valliere’s  flight 
showed  how  greatly  times  had  changed.  He  did  not 
now,  as  he  had  eight  years  before,  throw  himself  on  horse- 
back and  gallop  to  the  convent  to  assure  the  poor  fugitive 
of  his  undying  affection  and  to  entreat  her  to  return  ; he 

77 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


did  not  even  postpone  his  departure  for  Versailles,  which 
had  been  fixed  for  the  following  evening,  but  set  out 
at  the  appointed  time  in  company  with  Madame  de 
Montespan  and  Mademoiselle.  However,  on  reflection, 
he  decided  that  he  ought  not  to  allow  the  day  to  pass 
without  doing  something  to  mark  his  sense  of  the  ingrati- 
tude with  which  he  doubtless  considered  La  Valliere  had 
treated  him  ; and  so,  after  they  had  proceeded  a short 
distance,  he  began  to  weep  incontinently.  Madame  de 
Montespan  promptly  followed  suit,  as  did  Mademoiselle — 
“ to  keep  the  others  company,”  she  tells  us — and  thus  they 
continued  all  the  way  to  Versailles.1 

But  La  Valliere,  considered  as  the  cloak  wherewith  to 
cover  his  relations  with  Madame  de  Montespan,  was  far 
too  useful  a person  for  his  Majesty  to  dispense  with  her 
services  just  then  ; and,  accordingly,  he  despatched  his 
favourite,  the  Comte  de  Lauzun,  to  the  convent  to  bring 
her  back.  The  duchess,  however,  curtly  refused  to  listen 
to  him,  and  Lauzun  was  compelled  to  return  to  Versailles 
and  report  the  failure  of  his  mission.  A second  ambas- 
sador, Marechal  de  Bellefonds,2  a worthy  man  and  an 
intimate  friend  of  the  fugitive,  proved  no  more  fortunate, 
although  La  Valliere,  aware  of  the  sympathy  which  he  felt 
for  her,  spoke  to  him  with  greater  freedom.  She  charged 
him  to  tell  the  King  that  “ she  would  have  quitted  the 
Court  after  having  lost  the  honour  of  his  favour,  had  she 
been  able  to  make  up  her  mind  never  to  see  him  again  ; 


1 Memoires  de  Mademoiselle  de  Montpensier  (edit.  Cheruel),  iv.  260. 

5 Bernardin  Gigault,  Marquis  de  Bellefonds  ( 1 630-1 694).  He  served 
with  distinction  in  Spain,  Italy,  Flanders,  and  Holland,  and  was  made 
Marechal  de  France  July  8,  1668.  In  1670,  and  again  in  1673,  he 
was  sent  as  Ambassador  Extraordinary  to  the  Court  of  St.  James’s,  and  he 
commanded  the  French  army  in  Holland  in  the  campaign  of  1684. 

78 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


that  her  weakness  had  been  so  great  that  she  was  scarcely 
in  a fit  state  to  dedicate  herself  to  God  ; that  it  was,  how- 
ever, her  desire  that  the  remains  of  the  passion  that  she 
still  entertained  for  him  might  serve  as  her  penance ; and 
that,  after  surrendering  to  him  her  youth,  it  was  not  too 
much  to  devote  the  rest  of  her  life  to  the  care  of  her 
salvation.” 

When  Bellefonds  faithfully  reported  this  message  to  the 
King,  the  latter  began  to  weep  afresh,  but  managed  to  sob 
out  a request  that  Colbert  should  attend  him.  On  the 
arrival  of  his  trusted  Minister,  Louis  ordered  him  to 
proceed  at  once  to  Chaillot  and  not  to  return  without  the 
lady,  authorising  him  to  employ  force  if  no  other  means 
would  serve  his  purpose.  Colbert,  however,  preferred  to 
trust  to  diplomacy,  and  when  he  reached  the  convent  and 
was  admitted  to  the  duchess’s  presence,  drew  so  lively  a 
picture  of  the  King’s  distress  that  La  Valliere’s  tender 
heart  was  touched,  and  she  agreed  to  accompany  him, 
on  the  understanding  that  his  Majesty  would  permit  her 
to  retire  from  Court  if  she  persisted  in  her  resolution  to 
do  so. 

Louis,  we  are  told,  received  the  duchess  with  great 
emotion.  He  conversed  with  her  for  nearly  an  hour,  and 
wept  once  more,  this  time  presumably  with  relief  at 
recovering  this  very  convenient  screen  for  his  double 
adultery.  Madame  de  Montespan  was  even  more  demon- 
strative, running  to  meet  her  victim  with  open  arms 
and  with  tears — “ of  what  kind  ? ” asks  Madame  de 
Sevigne,  very  pertinently — streaming  down  her  cheeks. 
The  marchioness  had  been  rather  pleased  than  otherwise 
on  first  hearing  of  La  Valliere’s  flight.  Truth  to  tell,  she 
was  becoming  somewhat  weary  of  the  precautions  to 
which  the  King’s  dread  of  a public  scandal  had  compelled 

79 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


her  to  submit  for  the  past  three  years,  and  was  impatiently 
looking  forward  to  the  time  when  she  would  be  able  to 
stand  forth  “ thunderous  and  triumphant  ” as  maitresse 
declaree.  With  La  Valliere  gone,  it  would  be  out  of  the 
question  for  Louis  any  longer  to  conceal  the  intrigue,  and 
her  acknowledgment  must  follow  as  a matter  of  course. 
She  had,  therefore,  suggested  to  her  lover  that,  since 
the  lady  was  so  very  anxious  to  remain  at  Chaillot,  it 
might  be  as  well  to  allow  her  to  do  so,  and  when  he  took 
a different  view  of  the  matter,  high  words  had  ensued.1 
Finding  Louis  firm,  however,  the  favourite  was  shrewd 
enough  to  take  her  discomfiture  in  good  part,  and  even  to 
outdo  his  Majesty  in  the  warmth  of  the  welcome  she 
accorded  the  unfortunate  duchess. 

The  latter’s  conduct  in  this  affair  was  generally  con- 
demned by  the  gossips  of  the  Court.  “ Every  one,”  says 
Mademoiselle , “ considered  that  La  Valliere  had  behaved  in 
a very  ridiculous  manner  ; that  she  ought  to  have  re- 
mained in  the  convent  or  have  made  favourable  terms 
with  the  King,  instead  of  returning  like  a fool.  Although 
the  King  wept,  he  would  have  been  very  pleased  to  have 
got  rid  of  her  at  that  time.”  2 For  Louis,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  Court,  or  at  least  the  feminine  portion  of  it, 
seems  to  have  had  nothing  but  praise.  “ The  Duchesse  de 
La  Valliere,”  writes  Madame  de  Scudery  to  Bussy,  “ has 
resumed  her  place  at  Court.  I cannot  refrain  from 
expressing  to  you  my  opinion  that  the  King  acts  in  a 
most  commendable  manner,  even  towards  his  quitteries , 
as  the  Marechal  de  La  Meilleraye  remarks.  He  treats 
those  whom  he  has  once  loved  with  a consideration  which 
your  fine  gentlemen  would  not  show  towards  a woman 

1 Madame  de  Montmorency  to  Bussy-Rabutin,  February  25,  1671. 

* Memoires  de  Mademoiselle  de  Montpensier  (edit.  Cheruel),  iv.  261. 

80 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


whom  they  had  ceased  to  care  for,  although  she  might  be 
as  faithful  as  the  Duchess  has  been.”  1 

But  Bussy,  an  infinitely  shrewder  judge  of  human 
nature  than  his  fair  correspondent,  saw  the  other  side  of 
the  shield.  “ You  will  never  induce  me  to  admit,”  he 
answers,  “ that  the  King  deserves  praise  for  having  treated 
his  discarded  mistresses  with  kindness.  What  he  has  done 
has  been  with  no  idea  of  compensating  them  for  the 
injury  they  have  suffered  through  his  desertion  ; and  I 
even  go  so  far  as  to  maintain  that  it  is  to  suit  his  own 
convenience  and  for  political  reasons  that  he  has  made 
La  Valliere  return.”  2 

The  cynical  count  had  accurately  gauged  the  situa- 
tion. Shortly  after  La  Valliere  had  resumed  her  fetters, 
Louis  XIV.  gave  orders  for  one  of  those  military 
promenades  to  Flanders  with  which  he  was  wont  to 
gratify  his  martial  instincts  when  there  was  no  actual 
fighting  on  hand  ; and  the  Queen,  the  Royal  Family,  and 
a number  of  the  most  favoured  courtiers  prepared  to 
follow  the  troops.  The  duchess  was  among  those  who 
were  honoured  by  a “ command  ” from  his  Majesty,  but, 
surmising  the  motive  which  had  prompted  the  invitation, 
she  requested  permission  to  decline.  The  King,  however, 
insisted  on  her  accompanying  the  Court,  and  the  poor 
lady  had  no  option  but  to  obey.  The  following  letter, 
written  by  Louvois  to  Robert,  the  Intendant  of  Dunkerque, 
will  explain  why  Louis  was  so  anxious  for  the  presence  of 
“ our  very  dear  and  well-beloved  cousin,  the  Duchesse  de 
La  Valliere.” 

“ March  7,  1761.  You  must  prepare  the  room 
marked  V for  Madame  de  Montespan  ; make  a door 

1 Madame  de  Scudery  to  Bussy-Rabutin,  March  6,  1671. 

2 Bussy-Rabutin  to  Madame  de  Scudery,  March  13,  1671. 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


there  at  the  place  marked  I,  and  a passage  to  enable  her 
to  pass  into  the  room  marked  Q,  which  will  be  suitable  for 
her  wardrobe. 

“ Madame  de  La  Valliere  will  occupy  the  room  marked 
Y,  in  which  you  must  make  a door  at  the  place  marked  3, 
and  a passage  to  enable  her  to  pass  under  cover  into  Madame 
de  Monte sp an  s room d’1 

No  wonder  poor  La  Valliere  sighed  for  the  humble  cell 
of  the  convent  ! 

1 Quoted  in  Rousset’s  Histoire  de  Louvois , i.  31 1.  The  original  letter 
is  preserved  in  the  Archives  of  the  French  War  Office. 


82 


CHAPTER  VII 

Madame  de  Montespan  seeks  a guardian  for  her  children  by 
Louis  XIV. — Madame  Scarron  (Madame  de  Maintenon)  is 
recommended  to  her — Widely  divergent  views  as  to  the 
character  of  this  lady — The  probable  truth — Her  romantic 
history — Her  birth  in  the  prison  at  Niort — Hardships  of  her 
early  years — Her  marriage  with  the  poet  Scarron — Madame  de 
Montespan  obtains  a pension  for  her  after  her  husband’s  death 
— She  refuses  to  accept  the  charge  of  the  children  unless 
commanded  to  do  so  by  the  King — Difficulties  of  her  post— 
Subterfuges  to  which  she  is  compelled  to  resort  to  conceal  the 
nature  of  her  occupation — The  house  in  the  Rue  de  Vaugirard 
— Precautions  observed  there — Madame  Scarron’s  disappear- 
ance from  society  causes  much  astonishment — Relations  between 
her  and  Madame  de  Montespan — Louis  XI V.’s  early  antipathy 
to  Madame  Scarron— It  disappears  on  a closer  acquaintance — 

His  visits  to  the  Rue  de  Vaugirard — Madame  Scarron  returns 
to  society — Louis  XIV.  desirous  of  legitimating  the  children  of 
Madame  de  Montespan — Difficulties  in  the  way  ofsuch  a step 
— Anxiety  of  the  King — A convenient  precedent — Legiti- 
mation of  the  Due  du  Maine,  the  Comte  de  Vexin,  and 
Mademoiselle  de  Nantes — Illness  of  the  Due  du  Maine — 
Madame  Scarron  takes  him  to  a doctor  at  Antwerp — Her 
letter  to  Madame  de  Montespan — Madame  Scarron  and  her 
charges  established  at  Court. 

The  children  of  Madame  de  La  Valliere  had,  as  we  have 
mentioned,  been  confided  to  the  care  of  Madame  Colbert, 
the  wife  of  Louis  XIV. ’s  faithful  Minister,  who  had 
brought  them  up  with  her  own ; and  when,  in  the  spring 

33 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


of  1669,  Madame  de  Montespan  gave  birth  to  her  first 
child  by  the  King,  she  and  her  lover  began  to  look  about 
for  some  lady  who  could  be  trusted  to  perform  a similar 
service  for  the  new  mistress. 

A Madame  d’Heudicourt,  a confidante  of  the  favourite, 
to  whose  complaisance  Madame  de  Montespan  had  been 
not  a little  indebted  during  the  early  days  of  her  intrigue 
with  the  King,  expressed  her  willingness  to  undertake  the 
responsibility.  But  Madame  d’Heudicourt  was  a born 
intrigante  and,  according  to  Saint-Simon,  “beautiful  as  the 
day”  ; and  the  marchioness  knew  by  experience  how  very 
dangerous  it  was  to  put  one’s  friends  too  much  forward 
when  one’s  lover  happened  to  be  of  a susceptible  nature. 
She,  therefore,  courteously  declined  the  lady’s  offer,  and 
resolved  to  seek  for  some  one  who  was  a stranger  to  the 
Court  and  its  wicked  ways.  Well  would  it  have  been  for 
Madame  de  Montespan  had  she  been  content  to  trust  her 
ally ! 

Madame  d’Heudicourt,  who  would  appear  to  have 
taken  the  refusal  of  her  offer  in  very  good  part,  now 
suggested  that  possibly  a friend  of  hers  might  serve  the 
favourite’s  purpose.  This  was  a Madame  Scarron,  the 
widow  of  the  author  of  Virgile  travesti  and  other  poems 
in  burlesque  verse,  which  had  enjoyed  a great  vogue  in 
their  day,  who,  since  her  husband’s  death,  eight  years  pre- 
viously, had  been  living  in  the  Rue  de  Saint-Louis  on  a 
small  Court  pension.  Madame  de  Montespan  had  often 
met  this  lady  at  Madame  d’Heudicourt’s  and  at  the 
Hotel  d’Albret,  and  had  been  favourably  impressed  by 
her  manner  and  conversational  powers.  What  was  more 
to  the  present  purpose  was  that  Madame  Scarron  had  the 
reputation  of  being  both  discreet  and  trustworthy;  that 
she  possessed,  in  a pre-eminent  degree,  the  art  of  rendering 

84 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


herself  serviceable  to  all  whom  she  approached,  taking 
care  of  her  friends’  houses  in  their  absence,  super- 
intending their  entertainments,  and  nursing  them  with 
care  and  devotion  when  they  were  ill,  and  that,  though 
she  had  none  of  her  own,  she  was  noted  for  her  love  of 
children  and  her  skill  in  their  management.  She  seemed, 
in  short,  exactly  the  kind  of  person  who  was  required, 
and  Madame  de  Montespan  lost  no  time  in  authorising 
Madame  d’Heudicourt  to  approach  her  on  the  subject. 

Few  characters  in  history  have  been  the  subject  of  more 
blind  adulation,  on  the  one  hand,  or  more  unscrupulous 
calumny,  on  the  other,  than  has  Madame  de  Maintenon, 
to  give  Madame  Scarron  at  once  the  title  by  which  she 
is  known  to  fame.  By  her  admirers,  she  is  represented  as 
“ a sort  of  courtly  Jeanne  d’Arc,  divinely  appointed  to 
convert  a licentious  King  from  the  error  of  his  ways.” 
By  her  detractors,  a scheming  hypocrite,  who  passed  from 
a youth  of  secret  vice  to  a middle  age  of  ostentatious 
piety,  because  she  foresaw  that,  in  her  own  case,  religion 
and  virtue  were  the  safest  cards  to  play,  and  who,  after 
basely  betraying  her  benefactress,  contrived  to  bewitch  a 
superstitious  monarch  into  humiliating  subjection  to  her. 
Up  to  about  the  middle  of  the  last  century  the  latter  view 
predominated  ; but  in  recent  years  the  current  of  opinion 
has  set  in  strongly  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  more 
than  one  important  “ Life  ” has  appeared,  which,  whatever 
other  merits  they  may  possess,  can  certainly  not  have  the 
smallest  claim  to  be  considered  impartial  studies.  What, 
then,  is  the  truth  ? 

The  truth  would  seem  to  lie  midway  between  these  two 
extremes.  Madame  de  Maintenon  merits  neither  the 
shameful  aspersions  of  her  enemies  nor  the  extravagant 

85 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


praises  of  her  friends.  Her  character  was  a singularly 
complex  one,  in  which  the  two  most  prominent  traits  were 
intense  religious  conviction  and  worldly  prudence  pushed 
to  the  verge  of  unscrupulousness.  That  she  was  ever  the 
mistress  of  Villarceaux  or  any  one  else  we  do  not  for  one 
moment  believe,  in  the  first  place,  because  the  charge  rests 
on  very  unsatisfactory  evidence,1  and,  in  the  second, 
because  it  is  entirely  opposed  to  the  consistency  of  her 
character.  “ Every  trustworthy  record,”  says  Mr.  Cotter 

1 Both  Saint-Simon  and  the  Princess  Palatine  affirm  in  the  most 
positive  manner  that  Madame  de  Maintenon  was  Villarceaux’s  mistress. 
But,  as  the  former  chronicler  was  not  yet  born,  and  the  latter  was  living 
in  Germany  at  the  time  the  intrigue  was  supposed  to  be  going  on,  and 
both  are  well  known  to  have  been  bitterly  hostile  to  the  lady  in 
question,  their  testimony  is  of  little  value.  What,  at  first  sight,  appears 
to  be  evidence  more  worthy  of  attention  is  contained  in  a letter  written 
by  the  famous  courtesan,  Ninon  de  Lenclos,  to  Saint-Evremond,  then 
living  in  retirement  in  England,  and  dating  probably  from  the  last  years 
of  Ninon,  who  died  in  1706.  “ Scarron  was  my  friend;  his  wife’s 

conversation  gave  me  infinite  pleasure,  but  I found  her  too  gauche  for 
love.  As  for  details,  I know  nothing,  I saw  nothing,  but  I often  lent 
my  yellow  room  to  her  and  Villarceaux.”  [Causeries  d'un  Curieux,  ii.  588, 
by  M.  Feuillet  de  Conches,  who  possessed  the  original  letter.) 

M.  Geoffroy,  in  his  Madame  de  Maintenon  d'apres  sa  C orrespondance 
authentique  (p.  7),  throws  doubt  upon  the  authenticity  of  this  letter; 
while  M.  Lavallee  ( Correspondence  generate  de  Madame  de  Maintenon , 
p.  81)  regards  it  “ as  a Parthian  shaft  launched  by  the  old  courtesan, 
abandoned  by  all  and  disgusted  with  everything,  against  the  witness  of 
her  debauchery,  risen  through  her  virtue  to  the  height  of  consideration 
and  greatness,”  and  quotes  a sentence  from  another  of  Ninon’s  letters 
which  is  in  direct  contradiction  to  the  first  : “ Madame  de  Maintenon 
was  virtuous  in  her  youth  through  weak-mindedness.  I wished  to  cure 
her,  but  her  fear  of  God  was  too  great.”  We  may  add  that  if  there 
really  was  a liaison  between  the  lady  and  Villarceaux,  it  is  rather  strange 
that  the  latter,  who  was  a gentleman  rather  given  to  boasting  about  his 
conquests,  should  never  have  avowed  the  fact,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
complained  to  his  friends  of  his  want  of  success, 

86 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Morison  in  his  brilliant  little  dtude,  “ proves  that  Madame 
de  Maintenon  moved  in  a plane  that  diverged  at  right 
angles  from  the  path  which  leads  to  sins  of  the  flesh.  It 
was  not  that  she  resisted  such  temptations  ; she  was  not 
aware  of  them.  It  was  her  favourite  maxim  that  an  irre- 
proachable behaviour  is  also  the  cleverest  in  a worldly 
sense.  She  acknowledged  that  a wish  to  stand  well  with 
the  world  and  win  its  esteem  was  her  master  passion,  and 
that  ‘ she  hated  everything  that  could  expose  her  to  con- 
tempt.’ Setting  aside  her  religious  principles,  of  which 
none  but  the  uncandid  will  dispute  the  persistency,  it  is 
evident  that  in  her  cool,  sedate  mind  the  impulses  in 
question  found  no  place.  Her  lips  were  never  touched 
with  fire,  and  no  flame,  holy  or  unholy,  ever  burned  in 
the  depths  of  her  heart.”  1 

On  the  other  hand,  to  maintain,  as  her  enthusiastic 
admirers  insist  on  doing,  that  her  whole  conduct  was 
dictated  by  the  purest  and  most  disinterested  motives, 
that  her  sole  object  was  the  salvation  of  Louis  XIV.,  will 
not  bear  the  test  of  investigation  for  a moment.  That 
she  ardently  desired  to  pluck  the  monarch  as  a brand 
from  the  burning  for  his  own  sake  is  beyond  question, 
but  that  she  appreciated  to  the  full  the  material  advantages 
which  the  post  of  keeper  of  his  Majesty’s  conscience 
would  confer  is  no  less  certain.  The  motives  which 
guided  her  in  this  matter,  as  in  every  action  of  her  life,  were 
two,  and  two  which  are  generally  considered  to  be  utterly 
incompatible — worldly  advancement  and  eternal  salvation. 
She  would  seem,  in  short,  to  have  been  of  opinion  that 
there  were  exceptions  to  the  Scriptural  precept  concerning 
the  impossibility  of  serving  two  masters,  and  that  she  might 
hold  to  the  one  without  necessarily  despising  the  other. 

1 Cotter  Morison’s  Madame  de  Maintenon  : an  etude , p.  23. 

87 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Fran$oise  d’Aubign£,  afterwards  Madame  Scarron,  and 
later  Madame  de  Maintenon,  came  of  an  ancient  family 
originally  from  Anjou,  the  most  distinguished  member  of 
which  was  her  grandfather,  the  famous  old  Huguenot, 
Theodore  Agrippa  d’Aubigne,  “ for  whom  nothing  was 
too  hot  or  too  cold,”  and  who  wielded  sword  and  pen 
with  equal  facility.  This  accomplished  old  gentleman  had 
a most  unworthy  son,  Constant  by  name,  who,  not  content 
with  wasting  his  substance  in  riotous  living,  committed 
various  crimes,  in  consequence  of  which  he  passed  a con- 
siderable part  of  his  life  in  gaol.  In  the  year  1635  he 
was  serving  a term  of  imprisonment  at  Niort,  and  here,  on 
November  27,  his  second  wife,1  Jeanne  de  Cardillac,  a 
brave  and  devoted  woman,  who  had  obtained  permission 
to  share  his  punishment,  gave  birth  to  Fran^oise. 

The  little  girl  had  a miserable  childhood,  the  hardships 
of  which  were  never  effaced  from  her  mind.  Her  mother 
brought  her  to  Paris,  where  they  lived  in  extreme  poverty, 
Madame  d’Aubigne  squandering  what  little  money  she 
possessed  in  hopeless  lawsuits.  After  a time,  an  aunt, 
Madame  de  Villette,  took  compassion  on  the  poor  child, 
gave  her  a home,  and  instructed  her  in  the  rudiments  of 
the  Protestant  faith,  to  which  she  became  firmly  attached. 
In  1643  Constant  d’Aubigne  was  liberated,  and  he,  with 
his  wife  and  children,  sailed  for  Martinique  with  the  idea 
of  retrieving  their  fortunes.  Their  hopes  were  not 
realised,  however,  and  when,  two  years  later,  Constant  had 
the  good  taste  to  die,  his  family  found  themselves  totally 
1 He  had  married  for  the  first  time  in  1611,  and,  eight  years  later, 
“having  surprised  his  wife  in  company  with  the  son  of  an  advocate,  had 
killed  the  latter  with  thirty  blows  of  a poniard  and  his  wife  with  seven, 
after  first  making  her  pray  to  God.”  (Letter  of  Anne  de  Rohan  to  the 
Duchesse  de  Tremoille,  quoted  in  Lavallee’s  Introduction  to  Correspond- 
ance  generale  de  Madame  de  Maintenon , p.  3.) 

88 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


unprovided  for.  They  returned  to  France,  where 
Madame  d’Aubigne  resumed  her  litigation,  while  Madame 
de  Villette  again  took  charge  of  Fran^oise,  who  was  now 
twelve  years  old,  tall  for  her  age  and  giving  promise  of 
great  beauty. 

But  the  child  was  not  permitted  to  remain  long  under 
her  aunt’s  hospitable  roof,  for  another  relative,  a Madame 
de  Neuillant,  a bigoted  Catholic,  obtained  a royal  order 
to  have  the  charge  of  the  little  girl  made  over  to  her,  in 
order  to  remove  her  from  Calvinist  influences.  This 
good  lady,  who  appears  to  have  been  about  as  unpleasant 
a representative  of  her  sex  as  one  might  expect  to  meet  in 
the  course  of  an  ordinary  lifetime,  was  not  only  a bigot 
but  a miser,  and  obliged  the  unfortunate  Fran^oise  to 
dress  like  a peasant-girl  and  perform  the  most  menial 
offices.  She  also  adopted  various  harsh  measures  to  induce 
her  to  abjure  her  religion,  but  without  success  ; and  it 
was  not  until  the  girl  had  been  sent  to  the  Ursuline 
convent  in  the  Rue  Saint-Jacques,  and  had  been  privileged 
to  hear  two  learned  divines  argue  the  chief  points  at  issue 
between  the  Churches  for  her  special  edification,  that  she 
decided  to  embrace  the  faith  of  which  she  afterwards 
became  so  distinguished  an  ornament. 

On  leaving  the  convent,  Franqoise  went  to  live  with  her 
mother,  who  was  occupying  a single  small  room  in  the 
Rue  des  Tournelles,  and  supporting  herself  chiefly  by 
needlework.  Shortly  afterwards  she  made  the  acquaint- 
ance of  the  poet  Scarron,  who,  though  barely  forty  years 
of  age,  was  a helpless  cripple,  “ having  only  the  use  of  his 
right  hand,  his  eyes,  and  his  tongue,”  but  whose  buoyant 
humour  no  amount  of  physical  suffering  could  suppress. 

La  belle  Indienney  as  Scarron  styled  the  girl,  in  allusion 
to  her  sojourn  in  Martinique,  who,  in  addition  to  her 

89 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


good  looks,  was  the  possessor  of  a ready  if  somewhat 
precocious  wit — no  mean  recommendation  in  those  days — 
soon  became  a great  favourite  with  the  jovial  little  poet 
and  his  circle,  which  included  some  of  the  most  brilliant 
figures  in  the  gay  world  of  Paris.  When,  in  1651, 
Madame  d’Aubigne  died,  Scarron  sent  for  Fran^oise,  and, 
for  once  in  a way,  forcing  himself  to  be  serious,  pointed 
out  the  dangers  which  surrounded  her  now  that  she  was 
alone  in  the  world,  and  offered  either  to  pay  for  her 
admission  into  a convent  or  the  protection  of  his  own  name. 

The  young  lady’s  choice  was  soon  made.  She  had  at 
Scarron’s  and  elsewhere  seen  something  of  the  good  things 
that  life  had  to  offer,  and  consequently  had  no  desire  to 
immure  herself  in  a convent.  Her  strong  religious  views 
made  her  shrink  from  the  idea  of  relinquishing  her  honour 
in  order  to  obtain  them,  but,  handicapped  as  she  was  by 
her  poverty  and  her  antecedents,  she  knew  well  that  she 
could  never  hope  for  a husband  such  as  she  might  reason- 
ably have  looked  for  had  her  lines  been  cast  in  more 
pleasant  places.  Scarron,  poor  fellow,  was  only  half  a 
man,  it  is  true,  but  half  a man  is  better  than  no  man  at  all, 
and  she  had  had  abundant  proof  of  how  kind  a heart  beat 
in  that  pain-wracked  body.  She  therefore  decided  that  it 
was  better  to  be  a nurse  than  a nun,  and  the  marriage 
contract  was  duly  drawn  up.  When  the  notary,  according 
to  custom,  asked  Scarron  what  he  brought  his  bride,  the 
wit  replied,  “ Immortality  ! The  names  of  the  wives  of 
kings  die  with  them  ; that  of  Scarron’s  wife  will  live  for 
ever.”  The  poet  little  suspected  when  he  made  this 
grandiloquent  speech  how  strangely  it  was  to  be  verified, 
although  it  is  not  as  the  wife  of  the  author  of  Vergile 
travesti , but  of  a very  different  personage,  that  Fran^oise 
d’Aubigne  is  remembered  by  posterity. 

90 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


This  strange  union  lasted  eight  years,  during  which  the 
young  wife  nursed  her  suffering  husband  with  unremitting 
care  and  tenderness,  superintended  his  dubious  finances 
with  a skill  which  reflected  infinite  credit  on  her  business 
capabilities,  and  so  impressed  his  companions  with  her 
worth  and  dignity  that  one  of  them  remarked  that  if  he 
were  offered  the  choice  of  speaking  in  an  unbecoming 
manner  to  her  or  the  Queen-Mother  he  would  rather  do 
so  to  the  latter.  Scarron  died  in  1660,  leaving  behind 
him  little  save  debts,  for,  in  spite  of  his  wife’s  skilful 
management,  he  had  been  too  incorrigible  a spendthrift 
ever  to  save  a sou.  Fran^oise  was  then  twenty-five,  tall 
and  well-made,  with,  according  to  Madame  de  Scudery, 
“ a smooth,  beautiful  skin,  light,  pretty  chestnut  hair,  a 
well-shaped  nose,  a sweet,  modest  expression,  and  the 
finest  eyes  you  could  wish  to  see.”  She  had,  of  course, 
again  to  face  the  world  without  resources,  but  now  she  had 
made  wealthy  friends,  who  extended  their  hospitality  to 
her  until  she  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  renewal  in  her 
favour  of  a small  pension  which  Scarron  had  received  from 
the  Queen- Mother.  When  Anne  of  Austria  died  this,  of 
course,  ceased,  and  an  appeal  to  the  King’s  generosity  was 
at  first  unsuccessful.  At  length,  however,  another  pension 
was  granted  her,  mainly,  it  appears,  through  the  inter- 
cession of  Madame  de  Montespan. 

Madame  Scarron  met  Madame  d’Heudicourt’s  proposal 
with  admirable  diplomacy.  She  was  in  straitened  circum- 
stances ; the  offer  was  a tempting  one  from  a pecuniary 
point  of  view,  and,  therefore,  not  to  be  lightly  refused. 
But  she  was  quick  to  perceive  that  there  would  be  a vast 
difference  in  her  position  if,  by  the  exercise  of  a little  tact, 
she  could  contrive  to  be  employed  by  the  King  instead  of 

91 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


only  by  his  mistress.  By  obtaining  the  command  of  Louis 
to  take  charge  of  the  child  she  would  bring  herself  into 
immediate  connection  with  the  King  ; by  declining  to  do 
so,  unless  commanded  by  him,  she  would  enhance  the 
apparent  value  of  her  services,  and,  in  fact,  place  him 
under  an  obligation.  She  accordingly  replied  that  with 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  child  she  could  have  no  concern, 
but  that  if  the  little  girl  were  indeed  the  King’s,  and  his 
Majesty  would  lay  his  commands  upon  her,  she  would  be 
ready  to  accept  the  responsibility.  The  favourite,  anxious 
to  get  the  matter  settled,  raised  no  objection,  and  Madame 
Scarron,  having  been  summoned  to  Saint-Germain,  and 
formally  requested  by  Louis  to  accept  the  post,  entered 
upon  her  duties  at  once. 

She  speedily  found  that  the  position  was  very  far  from 
being  a sinecure,  and,  indeed,  nothing  but  her  indomitable 
courage  and  innate  talent  for  dissimulation  could  have 
enabled  her  to  fill  it  with  success.  “ If  this  step  was  the 
beginning  of  Madame  de  Maintenon’s  singular  good 
fortune,”  says  her  niece,  Madame  de  Caylus,  “ it  was 
likewise  the  beginning  of  her  difficulties  and  embarrass- 
ments.” The  most  absolute  secrecy  was  one  of  the 
stipulations  insisted  upon.  The  children — for  a boy,  the 
future  Due  du  Maine,  was  born  the  following  year — 
were  at  first  placed,  each  separately  with  their  nurses,  in 
small  houses  in  the  environs  of  Paris.  Madame  Scarron 
was  enjoined  to  give  them  the  most  assiduous  care,  and 
never  to  allow  a day  to  pass  without  paying  them  a visit  ; 
but,  lest  suspicion  should  be  aroused,  she  was  forbidden  to 
live  with  them  or  make  any  change  in  her  mode  of  life. 
She  has  herself  related  the  subterfuges  to  which  she  was 
compelled  to  have  recourse  in  order  to  baffle  the  curiosity 
of  her  friends. 


92 


FRANCOISE  D’AUBIGNE 

y 

(Marquise  df.  Maintenon) 
From  the  Engraving  by  Gii  fart 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


“ This  strange  kind  of  honour  (the  charge  of  the 
children)  cost  me  endless  annoyance  and  trouble.  I was 
compelled  to  mount  ladders  to  do  the  work  of  upholsterers 
and  mechanics  who  might  not  be  allowed  to  enter  the 
house.  I did  everything  myself,  for  the  nurses  did  not 
put  their  hands  to  a single  thing,  lest  they  should  be  tired 
and  their  milk  not  good.  I would  go  on  foot  and  in 
disguise  from  one  nurse  to  another,  carrying  linen  or  food 
under  my  arm.  I would  sometimes  spend  the  whole 
night  with  one  of  the  children  who  was  ill  in  a small  house 
outside  Paris.  In  the  morning,  I would  return  home  by  a 
little  back  gate,  and,  after  dressing  myself,  would  go  out 
at  the  front  door  to  my  coach,  and  drive  to  the  Hotels 
d’Albret  or  de  Richelieu,  so  that  my  friends  might  per- 
ceive nothing,  or  even  suspect  that  I had  a secret  to  keep. 
I became  very  thin,  but  no  one  divined  the  reason.”1 
Suddenly,  towards  the  end  of  the  year  1672,  Madame 
Scarron  withdrew  from  society  altogether,  and  went  into 
the  strictest  retirement.  Madame  de  Montespan’s  first 
two  children  were  growing  up,  and  a third  had  just 
appeared  upon  the  scene  ; and  these  circumstances  neces- 
sitated a new  arrangement.  The  favourite,  accordingly, 
purchased  a large,  rambling  house  in  the  then  remote 
quarter  of  the  Rue  de  Vaugirard,  standing  some  little  way 
back  from  the  street,  and  surrounded  by  a garden  shut  in 
by  high  walls.  Here,  Madame  Scarron  established  herself 
with  the  children  and  their  nurses,  living  in  good  style, 
but  discouraging  visitors,  and  devoting  herself  exclusively 
to  her  charges’  education.  The  most  elaborate  precautions 
were  taken  to  prevent  people  whom  it  was  impossible  to 
altogether  exclude  from  obtaining  the  slightest  inkling  of 
the  real  occupation  of  the  mistress  of  the  house.  But,  as 
1 Correspondance  generate  de  Madame  de  Maintenon , i.  146. 

93 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


there  was  always  a danger  that  some  chance  caller  might 
catch  sight  of  a nurse  or  hear  one  of  the  children  crying, 
she  brought  with  her  the  infant  daughter  of  Madame 
d’Heudicourt,  in  order  that  her  presence  might  serve  to 
cover  that  of  the  others. 

Madame  Scarron’s  disappearance  from  Paris  society, 
in  which  she  had  occupied  so  prominent  a place,  caused 
the  greatest  astonishment  among  her  friends.  “As  for 
Madame  Scarron,”  writes  Madame  de  Coulanges  to 
Madame  de  Sevigne,  who  was  then  in  Brittany,  “ her  mode 
of  life  is  astonishing.  Not  a single  soul  has  any  com- 
munication with  her.  I have  received  a letter  from  her, 
but  1 take  care  not  to  boast  about  it,  for  fear  of  being 
overwhelmed  with  questions.”1  All  kinds  of  rumours 
were  flying  about,  for  the  most  part  highly  detrimental  to 
the  reputation  of  the  lady  in  question.  Some  of  these 
reached  the  Rue  de  Vaugirard,  and  caused  the  worthy 
gouvernante,  to  whom  the  good  opinion  of  the  world  was 
as  the  breath  of  life,  the  keenest  mortification. 

To  add  to  her  troubles,  she  now  frequently  found  her- 
self at  odds  with  Madame  de  Montespan.  The  latter’s 
arrogance  and  capriciousness  seemed  to  increase  with  her 
favour,  and  rendered  her  at  times  almost  unbearable.  Of 
course,  she  did  not  dare  to  venture  near  the  house,  but 
she  was  perpetually  sending  for  Madame  Scarron,  inter- 
fering with  her  arrangements  for  the  education  of  the 
children,  finding  fault  with  her  on  the  slightest  pretext, 
and  flying  into  the  most  violent  passions.  The  elder 
woman’s  reputation  for  piety  was  a fruitful  source  of 
discord  between  them,  as  the  marchioness  saw  in  it  only 
a tacit  reproach  to  her  own  immoral  life.  This  was 
especially  the  case  when  she  happened  to  be  enceinte.  “ In 
' Madame  de  Coulanges  to  Madame  de  Sevigne,  December  2,  1672. 

9+ 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


God’s  name,”  she  wrote  to  her,  on  one  occasion,  when 
summoning  her  to  Court,  “ do  not  make  any  of  your 
great  eyes  at  me ! ” Far  from  being  grateful  to  the 
gouvernante  for  the  care  she  bestowed  upon  the  children, 
and  the  unceasing  vigilance  which  alone  enabled  her  to 
preserve  the  secret  of  their  existence,  she  made  it  the 
subject  of  untimely  pleasantry.  One  day,  a fire  broke  out 
in  the  house  which  sheltered  the  little  family.  Madame 
Scarron,  fearing  that  she  might  be  forced  to  call  in  the 
neighbours  to  her  assistance,  and  thus  run  grave  risk  of 
discovery,  despatched  a mounted  messenger  to  the  Court 
with  a letter  informing  Madame  de  Montespan  of  the  state 
of  affairs  ; whereupon  that  lady  sent  word  that  “ she  was 
glad  to  hear  about  the  fire,  as  it  was  a sign  of  good 
luck  for  the  children.”  1 

Nevertheless,  life  in  the  Rue  de  Vaugirard  was  not 
without  its  compensations,  for  it  was  there  that  the  sorely- 
tried  widow  was  enabled  to  sow  the  first  seeds  of  that 
great  fortune  which  she  was  one  day  to  reap. 

At  first  Louis  XIV.  was  rather  repelled  than  attracted 
by  his  children’s  gouvernante.  He  disliked  clever  people 
— they  made  him  painfully  conscious  of  his  own  deficient 
education — and  the  habituees  of  the  Hotels  de  Richelieu 
and  d’Albret,  in  whose  salons  Madame  Scarron  had  been 
a bright  and  shining  light,  plumed  themselves  on  being  the 
successors  of  the  prdcieuses  of  the  Hotel  de  Rambouillet. 
It  was  the  fashion  at  Court  to  make  game  of  these  cliques; 
and  Madame  de  Montespan,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  in  her 
earlier  and  more  reputable  days  she  had  derived  great 
pleasure  from  their  gatherings,  was  particularly  fond  of 
turning  them  into  ridicule  for  the  diversion  of  the  King. 
Moreover,  Madame  Scarron’s  cold  and  reserved  manner 

1 Languet  de  Gergy’s  Memoires  sur  Madame  de  Main  tenon,  p.  130. 

95 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


impressed  Louis  far  from  favourably,  and  for  some  time 
he  never  spoke  of  her  to  Madame  de  Montespan  except 
as  “ Votre  belle  esprit  ” (Your  learned  lady). 

But  this  did  not  last  long.  As  he  was  much  attached 
to  his  children,  the  monarch  not  infrequently  paid  surrep- 
titious visits  to  the  Rue  de  Vaugirard,  and  when  he  knew 
her  better  and  studied  her  more  closely,  his  prejudices 
gradually  melted  away.  He  could  not  but  be  touched  by 
the  devoted  care  which  she  lavished  on  her  charges.  No 
mother  could  possibly  have  been  more  patient,  more 
tender,  more  solicitous  in  every  way  for  their  welfare. 
Their  slightest  troubles  seemed  to  awaken  an  answering 
chord  in  her  heart,  their  most  insignificant  ailments 
occasioned  her  the  deepest  distress,  and  when  the  eldest 
child  died,  she  wept  for  her  as  bitterly  and  mourned  for 
her  as  long  as  if  she  had  been  her  own  daughter.  He  dis- 
covered, too,  that  this  demure  and  unobtrusive  woman 
possessed  qualities  which  he  had  never  even  suspected — 
a sound  common-sense,  which  appealed  strongly  to  his 
eminently  practical  mind,  a quiet  humour  which  was  not 
altogether  an  unwelcome  change  after  the  boisterous  gaiety 
of  his  mistress,  and  conversational  powers  which  both 
surprised  and  delighted  him.  He  found  his  way  with 
increasing  frequency  to  the  house,  and  the  oftener  he 
came,  the  longer  he  stayed,  and  the  more  reluctant  he  was 
to  take  his  leave.1 

At  the  beginning  of  December  1673,  Madame  Scarron 

1 It  is  to  this  period,  if  to  any,  that  the  essai  dc  seduction  mentioned 
by  so  many  writers  belongs.  The  belief  that  Louis  attempted  to  storm 
this  impregnable  fortress  of  virtue  in  later  years  prevails  no  longer.  The 
letter  containing  the  famous  passage,  “ Je  le  renvoie  toujours  affligt, 
jamais  desespere which  even  historians  like  Henri  Martin  cite  as 
authentic,  is  an  impudent  forgery  of  La  Beaumelle. 

96 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


returned  to  society  as  abruptly  as  she  had  quitted  it  twelve 
months  before.  “ We  supped  again  yesterday,  with 
Madame  Scarron  and  the  Abb6  Testu,  at  Madame  de 
Coulanges’s,”  writes  Madame  de  Sevign6  to  her  daughter. 
“ We  talked  a great  deal,  and  you  were  not  forgotten. 
We  took  it  into  our  heads  to  escort  Madame  Scarron 
home  at  midnight,  to  the  farthest  end  of  the  Faubourg 
Saint-Germain, a long  way  beyond  Madame  de  La  Fayette’s, 
almost  as  far  as  Vaugirard,  and  quite  in  the  country, 
where  she  lives  in  a large,  handsome  house,  with  a large 
garden,  and  beautiful  and  spacious  apartments.  She  has 
a coach,  men-servants,  and  horses,  dresses  quietly,  but 
elegantly,  in  the  style  of  a woman  who  associates  with 
persons  of  rank  ; she  is  amiable,  handsome,  good-natured, 
and  free  from  affectation  ; in  a word,  a charming  com- 
panion.” 

The  explanation  of  the  lady’s  sudden  reappearance  in 
Paris  society  was  that  there  was  no  longer  any  secret  to 
guard.  Louis  XIV.  was  about  to  acknowledge  the  children 
of  Madame  de  Montespan. 

The  King  had  been  anxious  to  take  this  step  for  some 
time  past.  His  motive  was  not,  as  might  be  supposed,  a 
sentimental  one — the  feeling  that  he  could  not  well  refuse 
to  the  reigning  mistress  what  he  had  already  conceded  to 
the  discarded  La  Valliere.  It  was  a far  graver  reason. 
In  the  eyes  of  the  French  law  the  children  in  question 
belonged  not  to  the  King,  but  to  the  husband  of  Madame 
de  Montespan,  and  Louis  had  grounds  for  believing  that 
the  latter,  who  was  still  breathing  forth  fire  and  slaughter, 
contemplated  taking  measures  to  enforce  his  rights.  Were 
he  to  do  so,  the  courts  would  be  compelled  to  entertain 
his  suit,  and  although  it  might  be  possible  to  bring  suffi- 
cient pressure  to  bear  upon  the  judges  to  induce  them  to 

97  c 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


decide  against  the  marquis,  the  case  could  not  fail  to  pro- 
voke a terrible  scandal,  which  would  certainly  not  be  con- 
fined within  the  borders  of  France.  The  prospect  of 
being  called  upon  to  engage  in  litigation  with  one  of  his 
own  subjects  over  so  very  delicate  a matter  was  hardly 
such  as  the  monarch  who  aspired  to  be  the  arbiter  of 
Europe  could  afford  to  regard  with  equanimity.  Besides, 
to  do  him  justice,  Louis  was  much  attached  to  these 
children — in  fact,  the  Due  du  Maine  seems  to  have  been 
his  favourite  child — and  the  possibility  of  having  to  sur- 
render them  filled  him  with  alarm.  He,  therefore,  re- 
solved to  forestall  Montespan  and  legitimate  them. 

At  first  sight  it  would  appear  to  have  been  a simple 
matter  enough  for  the  King  to  issue  letters  of  legitimation. 
Had  he  not  done  so  in  favour  of  Madame  de  La  Valliere’s 
children,  and  no  man  had  said  him  nay  ? But,  in  the 
present  case,  where  the  mother  was  a married  woman,  the 
situation  was  far  more  complicated.  To  name  the  mother 
would  be  to  reduce  the  affair  to  a farce,  since  the  children 
it  was  proposed  to  legitimate  were  legitimate  already, 
inasmuch  as  the  Marquis  de  Montespan,  their  father  in 
the  eyes  of  the  law,  had  never  repudiated  them.  On  the 
other  hand,  no  precedent  could  be  found  for  omitting  the 
name  of  the  mother.  Henry  IV.,  the  legitimator  par 
excellence , had  invariably  named  them.  Not  that  the 
astute  B6arnais  had  ever  found  himself  in  a like  predica- 
ment, for  though  Gabrielle  d’Estrees  and  Jacqueline  de 
Beuil,  the  respective  mothers  of  C6sar  de  Vendome  and 
Antoine  de  Moret,  had  been  married  women,  their  unions 
had  been  merely  nominal  ones,  contracted  for  the  con- 
venience of  his  Majesty  and  subsequently  annulled. 
Henri,  therefore,  in  both  instances,  had  been  able  to 
declare,  with  more  or  less  good  faith,  in  the  letters  patent ; 

98 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


“ We  know  that  the  marriage  was  void  and  was  never 
consummated,  as  is  proved  by  the  decree  of  nullity  which 
has  since  been  pronounced.”  But  Madame  de  Montespan 
had  two  children  by  her  husband,  who  bore  his  name  and 
whose  legitimacy  had  never  been  questioned,  and  her 
marriage  had  not  been  dissolved.  In  consequence,  it  was 
impossible  to  name  the  mother.  The  only  solution  of 
the  difficulty  would  have  been  for  La  Valliere  to  have 
allowed  her  name  to  appear  in  the  document.  The 
duchess’s  complaisance,  however,  stopped  short  of  acknow- 
ledging the  sons  and  daughters  of  her  rival  as  her  own. 

For  months  Louis  racked  his  brains  to  discover  some 
way  out  of  the  imbroglio,  but  to  no  purpose,  and  at  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1673  the  approaching  birth  of 
another  child  came  to  add  to  his  anxiety.  At  this  moment, 
a totally  unexpected  coincidence  provided  him  with  the 
means  of  severing  the  Gordian  Knot. 

The  young  Due  de  Longueville,1  killed  at  the  passage 
of  the  Rhine,  had  left  a will  in  which  he  bequeathed  a 
considerable  part  of  his  fortune  to  a natural  son,  who  was 
generally  believed  to  be  the  fruit  of  an  intrigue  between 
the  deceased  nobleman  and  the  wife  of  the  Marshal  de  La 
Ferte,  although  the  document  in  question  contained  no 
mention  of  any  lady,  and,  at  the  same  time,  requested  his 
mother,  the  celebrated  Madame  de  Longueville,  to  use  her 

1 Charles  Paris  d’Orl6ans,  popularly  believed  to  be  the  son  of  La 
Rochefoucauld.  He  was  a very  gallant  young  gentleman  indeed,  and 
his  untimely  death,  Madame  de  Scvignc  tells  us,  caused  “ an  infinite 
number  of  ladies  to  weep.”  Had  he  lived  a little  longer,  he  would  in 
all  probability  have  ascended  a throne,  as,  on  the  motion  of  John  Sobieski, 
the  Polish  Diet  had  resolved  to  depose  the  feeble  and  imbecile  Michael 
Viecnowiski  and  offer  the  crown  to  the  nephew  of  the  Great  Cond6, 
and  deputies  from  Poland  were  actually  on  their  way  to  the  French 
camp  at  the  time  when  the  duke  fell. 

99 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


influence  with  the  King  to  obtain  the  legitimation  of  the 
little  boy.  The  duchess,  who  had  been  passionately 
attached  to  her  son,  at  once  approached  his  Majesty  on 
the  subject,  and,  as  may  be  supposed,  was  accorded  a very 
gracious  reception.  Nothing,  indeed,  could  have  been  more 
opportune  for  Louis.  Here,  without  any  action  on  his 
own  part,  was  the  chance  of  establishing  the  very  precedent 
he  had  been  vainly  seeking.  No  one  could  possibly  suspect 
him  of  any  ulterior  motive  in  granting  the  last  request  of 
a gallant  soldier,  a prince  of  the  blood,  cut  off  in  the  flower 
of  his  youth  in  the  service  of  his  king  and  country  ; and 
no  one  could  blame  him  if  he  chose  to  follow  what  would 
henceforth,  no  doubt,  be  a common  practice.  Accordingly, 
on  September  7,  1673,  letters  patent  were  issued  legiti- 
mating Longueville’s  son,  under  the  name  of  the  Chevalier 
d’Orleans,  without  naming  the  mother , and  duly  approved 
by  the  Parliament.  Three  months  later  (December  20, 
1673)  the  gentlemen  of  the  long  robe  were  called  upon  to 
register  a similar  document,  of  which  the  preamble,  a very 
brief  one,  was  as  follows  : — 

“ Louis,  by  the  grace  of  God,  etc.  The  affection  with 
which  Nature  inspires  Us  for  our  children  and  many  other 
reasons  which  serve  to  considerably  augment  these  senti- 
ments within  Us  compel  Us  to  recognise  Louis  Auguste, 
Louis  C£sar,  and  Louise  Fran^oise.”1 

The  first  was  named  Due  du  Maine  ; the  second,  Comte 
de  Vexin  ; the  third,  Demoiselle  de  Nantes.  “ Nothing 
more  could  have  been  done  for  the  children,”  remarks 
1 The  last  child  had  been  privately  baptized  two  days  previously,  the 
godfather  being  one  Thomas  Dandin,  a priest,  and  the  godmother, 
Louise  de  La  Valli£re,  after  whom  the  little  girl  was  named,  and  who 
thus,  by  a supreme  act  of  self-abnegation,  admitted  as  her  godchild  the 
daughter  of  the  man  whom  she  had  loved  so  passionately  and  the  rival 
who  had  supplanted  her  in  his  affections  1 When  the  officiating  priest 

ioo 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


M.  Lair ; “ but  for  the  mother  what  a difference  between 
these  letters  and  those  of  1669,  in  which  ‘ the  singular 
merits  of  our  well-beloved  Louise  de  La  Valliere  ’ were  so 
loudly  proclaimed  ! The  haughty  Montespan  had  to  rest 
content  with  that  * many  other  reasons.’  ” 1 

In  spite  of  their  acknowledgment  by  their  royal  father, 
the  children  continued  to  occupy  the  house  in  the  Rue 
de  Vaugirard  for  some  months  longer.  “We  have  seen 
the  Due  du  Maine,”  writes  Madame  de  S6vigne  to  her 
daughter  on  January  5,  1674,  “but  he  has  not  yet 

visited  the  Queen  ; he  arrived  in  a coach  and  saw  only 
his  father  and  mother.”  The  explanation  of  the  delay 
in  bringing  them  to  Court  was  that  Louis  preferred  to 
wait  until  the  action  ror  a separation,  which  was  still 
dragging  its  weary  length  along,  had  been  decided  in 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  favour,  before  flaunting  the 
fruit  of  their  intrigue  in  the  face  of  the  world.  Public 
opinion  drew  a nice  distinction  between  the  conduct  of  a 
lady  whose  husband  had  forfeited  his  legal  rights  and 
one  who  was  still,  nominally  at  any  rate,  under  marital 
authority. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  little  Due  du  Maine  was  seized 


demanded  of  the  sponsors  the  names  of  the  parents,  there  was  no  answer, 
and,  after  an  embarrassing  pause,  he  passed  on  to  the  next  question. 

It  is  interesting  to  compare  these  surreptitious  proceedings  with  the 
pomp  which  marked  the  baptism  of  Henri  IV. ’s  daughter  by  Gabriellc 
d’Estrees  in  1696.  “After  pages  bearing  torches  came  guards,  Swiss, 
drums,  trumpets,  and  violins ; then  Marechal  Matignon  bearing  a taper, 
the  Due  d’Epernon  a basin  (silver-gilt),  the  Due  de  Nevers  a vase,  the 
Due  de  Nemours  a towel,  the  Due  de  Montpensier  the  cradle,  the 
Prince  de  Conti  the  infant,  wrapped  up  in  a silver  cloth  lined  with 
ermine,  the  train  being  six  yards  long  and  borne  by  Mademoiselle 
de  Guise.” — Bingham’s  Marriages  of  the  Bourbons , i.  238. 

1 Lair’s  Louise  de  La  Valliere  et  la  jeuncssc  de  Louis  XIV.,  p.  282. 


101 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


with  convulsions,  as  the  result  of  which  one  of  his  legs 
contracted  to  such  an  extent  that  he  was  no  longer  able  to 
walk.  The  King  was  much  concerned,  and  the  whole 
Faculty  of  Paris  exhausted  their  skill  in  their  endeavours 
to  find  a remedy,  but  without  success.  As  a forlorn  hope, 
it  was  decided  to  send  him  to  a doctor  at  Antwerp,  who 
was  a specialist  in  cases  of  this  kind,  and  was  reported 
to  have  effected  some  marvellous  cures  ; and,  accordingly, 
in  April  1674,  he  set  out  for  Flanders  under  the  care  of 
Madame  Scarron,  who  received  instructions  to  assume  the 
name  of  the  Marquise  de  Surgeres,  and  to  give  people  to 
understand  that  the  duke  was  her  son.  From  Antwerp 
she  writes  to  Madame  de  Montespan  as  follows  : — 

Madame  Scarron  to  Madame  de  Montespan. 

“ April  zo,  1 674. 

“ The  doctor  visited  the  prince  yesterday.  He  is  just 
such  a man  as  you  have  been  told,  very  kind  and  natural 
in  his  manner,  with  nothing  of  the  quack  about  him. 
Nevertheless,  I confess  to  you,  Madame,  that  I find  it 
difficult  to  put  any  faith  in  him  ; still  one  must  follow  his 
instructions. 

“ I am  suffering  in  anticipation  all  that  this  poor  child 
will  have  to  endure.  You  will  be  able  with  justice  to 
reproach  me  now  with  being  too  fond  of  him.  To  con- 
clude, the  doctor  pretends  that  it  is  nothing  but  weakness, 
and  that  reassures  me.  The  prince  said  to  him,  ‘ At  all 
events,  Monsieur,  I was  not  born  like  this  ; neither  my 
mamma  nor  my  papa  are  lame.’” 

The  Antwerp  treatment,  which,  as  will  be  gathered  from 
the  foregoing  letter,  was  of  the  heroic  order,  was  far  from 
being  a success,  and  the  little  duke  returned  to  Paris  if 

102 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


anything  rather  worse  than  when  he  left.  On  July  7 the 
much-desired  separation  was  at  length  pronounced  by  the 
Chatelet,  and  a fortnight  later  the  Due  du  Maine,  the 
Comte  de  Vexin,  and  Mademoiselle  de  Nantes,  having 
been  formally  presented  to  the  Queen,  were  definitely 
established  at  Court  together  with  their  gouvernante. 


103 


CHAPTER  VIII 


Serious  illness  of  Louise  de  La  Vallidre — On  her  recovery  she 
determines  to  take  the  veil — Her  visits  to  the  Carmelite 
convent  in  the  Rue  Saint-Jacques — She  resolves  to  enter  that 
community — The  Carmelites  agree  to  receive  her — Sheapplies 
to  Bossuet  to  overcome  the  objections  of  the  King  and  Madame 
de  Montespan — Interview  between  Bossuet  and  the  favourite 
— Madame  de  Montespan  sends  Madame  Scarron  to  La 
Valli^re  to  dissuade  her  from  her  resolution — La  Valliere’s 
reply — Opinion  of  the  Court  ladies  on  the  matter — The  King 
gives  his  consent  to  La  Valliire  entering  the  Carmelites — 
Bossuet’s  letter  to  Marechal  de  Bellefonds — La  Valliere’s 
farewell  to  the  world. 

Louise  de  La  Valli^re  was  spared  the  pain  of  witnessing 
the  final  triumph  of  her  rival.  Three  months  before  she 
had  quitted  the  Court  for  ever. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  year  1669  or  the  beginning  of 
1670  the  duchess  was  taken  suddenly  ill.  The  nature  of  her 
malady  does  not  appear  to  be  known,  and  it  is  quite  con- 
ceivable that,  as  her  biographer,  M.  Lair,  suggests,  it  was 
not  due  to  natural  causes.  Whatever  it  may  have  been, 
it  was  very  serious,  and  for  some  days  her  life  was  despaired 
of.  While  she  lay  “ like  a poor  criminal  on  the  scaffold 
waiting  until  the  preparations  for  his  execution  had  been 
completed,”  1 she  suffered  in  anticipation  all  the  torments 
of  the  lost,  and  determined,  if  she  were  spared,  to  begin  a 

1 Reflexions  sur  la  misericorde  dc  Dieu , Twenty-fourth  reflexion. 

104 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


new  life.  Accordingly,  on  her  recovery,  she  consulted 
her  confessor  as  to  the  steps  it  would  be  necessary  for  her 
to  take  to  give  effect  to  her  resolution.  The  divine  in 
question,  who,  like  the  majority  of  fashionable  directeurs, 
was  of  an  accommodating  disposition,  offered  to  accept 
her  professions  of  penitence  and  admit  her  to  the  sacra- 
ments. But  La  Valliere  “ declined  this  hasty  absolution, 
which  could  assure  her  only  a false  peace  of  mind  ” ; 1 
and,  after  some  months  spent  in  vainly  endeavouring  to 
discover  a more  effectual  means  of  easing  the  pangs  of 
conscience,  decided  that  the  only  possible  way  in  which 
she  could  hope  to  make  reparation  for  her  sin  was  by 
taking  the  veil. 

In  thus  renouncing  the  world  she  felt  that  she  would 
be  injuring  no  one.  The  King  had  long  ceased  to  love 
her,  and  regarded  her  merely  as  a convenient  screen  for 
his  intrigue  with  Madame  de  Montespan.  Her  little  boy 
had  at  length  been  recognised  and  provided  for;  while  her 
daughter,  Mademoiselle  de  Blois,  would  actually  benefit  by 
her  retirement,  since,  in  that  case,  Vaujours  would  revert 
to  her.  As  for  her  mother  and  her  other  relatives,  she 
owed  them  nothing ; they  had  regarded  her  fall  with 
complaisance,  if  not  with  a warmer  feeling,  and  had  been 
only  too  ready  to  profit  by  the  bounty  of  her  royal  lover.2 

It  was  in  pursuance  of  this  resolution  that,  on  Shrove 
Tuesday  1671,  Madame  de  La  Valliere  fled  to  the  Couvent 
de  Sainte-Marie,  at  Chaillot;  and  though,  in  deference  to 
Louis  XIV. ’s  wishes,  she  ultimately  consented  to  return 
to  Court,  she  was  none  the  less  determined  to  seek  the 
seclusion  of  the  cloister  as  soon  as  she  could  prevail  upon 
the  King  to  give  his  consent. 

1 Ref  exions  sur  la  misiricorde  de  Diets,  Eighth  ref  exion. 

2 Lair’s  Louise  de  La  Valliere  et  la  jeunesse  de  Louis  XIV.,  p.  273. 

105 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


In  the  meanwhile,  she  resolved  to  seek  for  a convent 
which  would  be  ready  to  receive  her  when  she  had  obtained 
the  permission  she  so  much  desired.  Mademoiselle  de 
Montpensier,  to  whom  she  had  confided  her  intention, 
advised  her  not  to  take  the  veil,  but  to  enter  as  a boarder 
at  the  Couvent  de  la  Visitation,  another  convent  at 
Chaillot.  This  was  a very  fashionable  form  of  retreat  in 
those  days,  and  was  much  affected  by  ladies  who  were 
devotionally  inclined,  or  whose  relatives  deemed  that  a 
period  of  seclusion  from  the  world  and  its  temptations 
might  not  be  without  its  advantages.  Such  were,  of 
course,  amenable  to  most  of  the  rules  ot  the  convent  so 
long  as  they  remained  beneath  its  roof,  but,  on  the  other 
hand,  were  at  liberty  to  return  to  a mundane  life  at  any 
time.  La  Valliere,  however,  animated  by  a spirit  of 
sincere  remorse,  was  in  no  mind  to  be  content  with  half 
measures.  As  in  love  she  had  sought  nothing  but  love, 
in  penitence  she  desired  nothing  but  pardon,  and  the  more 
thorough  her  expiation,  the  greater  she  considered  would 
be  her  chance  of  obtaining  peace  in  this  world  and  salva- 
tion in  the  next. 

Now,  it  had  happened  that,  on  several  occasions,  the 
duchess  had  visited  incognito  the  Grand  Couvent  of  the 
Carmelites  in  the  Rue  Saint-Jacques,  and  had  been  much 
impressed  by  the  air  of  quiet  happiness  which  pervaded 
its  inmates,  notwithstanding  that  the  life  to  which  their 
vows  condemned  them,  with  its  serge  and  sackcloth,  its 
midnight  vigils,  its  macerations,  and  servile  duties,  was 
regarded  by  the  world  as  little  better  than  death  itself. 
In  the  course  of  one  of  these  visits,  a friend  who  ac- 
companied the  ex-favourite  accidentally  addressed  her  by 
name.  Instantly  the  manner  of  the  nuns,  which  until 
then  had  been  friendly  and  unconstrained,  changed  to  one 

106 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


of  frigid  reserve  ; “ every  lip  was  closed  and  every  eye 
averted.”  Far  from  resenting  their  behaviour,  La  Valliere 
esteemed  them  the  more  on  that  account,  and  forthwith 
resolved  to  choose  their  convent  in  preference  to  a less 
strict  community. 

The  reputation  of  the  Carmelites  stood  so  deservedly 
high  that  the  duchess  did  not  dare  to  address  her  request 
directly  to  them.  The  Order  required  that  candidates 
for  admission  to  their  convents  should  be  of  unblemished 
virtue,  and  this  rule  was  most  stringently  enforced.  She, 
therefore,  took  counsel  with  her  friend,  Mar6chal  de 
Bellefonds,  and  begged  him  to  enlist  the  good  offices  ot 
his  aunt,  Judith  de  Bellefonds  (in  religion  Mere  Agnes 
de  Jesus) — who  had  been  for  many  years  an  inmate  of 
the  establishment  in  question,  and  had  filled  the  office  of 
prioress  in  1649 — to  induce  the  community  to  make  an 
exception  in  her  favour.  Mere  Agnes  promised  her 
assistance,  with  the  result  that,  after  a good  deal  of  hesita- 
tion, it  was  decided  to  receive  the  penitent ; and,  at  the 
end  of  October  1673,  the  marshal  wrote  informing  her 
that  she  would  be  admitted  whenever  she  desired. 

La  Valliere  did  not  at  once  avail  herself  of  the  per- 
mission accorded  her.  She  was  unwell  at  the  time,  and 
the  Prioress  of  the  Carmelites,  on  learning  of  this,  advised 
her  to  wait  until  she  had  fully  recovered  her  health  before 
entering  on  a life  so  very  different  from  that  to  which  she 
had  been  accustomed.  Moreover,  she  was  extremely 
doubtful  as  to  whether  the  King  and  Madame  de  Montespan 
would  permit  her  to  carry  out  her  resolve.  Not  only  was 
her  presence,  as  we  have  said,  necessary  as  a screen  for  the 
lovers,  but  her  choice  of  such  a very  austere  Order  might 
not  unreasonably  be  regarded  as  a reflection  upon  the 
reigning  mistress,  so  much  more  culpable  than  poor  La 

107 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Valliere,  by  reason  of  her  double  sin.  The  legitimation  or 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  children  in  December  of  that 
year  removed  the  first  obstacle,  but  strengthened  the  second, 
since  the  proud  mother  was  now,  to  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses, maitresse  declarle. 

In  her  perplexity,  the  duchess,  on  the  suggestion  of 
Bellefonds,  turned  for  advice  and  assistance  to  Bossuet. 
This  great  man,  whose  extravagant  views  on  the  subject  of 
kingly  authority  have  unfortunately  blinded  many  to  the 
true  nobility  and  disinterestedness  of  his  character,  and 
led  them  to  accuse  of  ambition  and  sycophancy  one  whose 
whole  life  is  a protest  against  such  insinuations,1  had  come 
to  Court  in  1662  as  preceptor  to  the  Dauphin,2  and  had 
already  made  several  distinguished  converts.  In  his  re- 
lations with  his  penitents  he  observed  the  happy  mean 
between  those  confessors  who,  to  borrow  his  own  words, 
“ in  their  unfortunate  and  inhuman  complaisance,  place 
cushions  beneath  the  elbows  of  sinners  and  seek  coverlets 
for  their  passions  ” and  those  who  “ bring  hell  continually 
before  them  and  fulminate  nothing  but  anathemas.” 
Eloquent  yet  simple,  gentle  yet  inexorably  firm,  a thorough 
man  of  the  world,  a profound  judge  of  the  human  heart, 

1 If  Bossuet  was  ambitious,  why,  asks  M.  Clement  very  pertinently, 
did  he  remain  content  all  his  life  with  third-class  bishoprics  like  Condom 
and  Meaux,  when  there  was  no  position  in  the  Church  to  which  he 
might  not  have  aspired  ? 

2 Here  is  what  Nicolas  Colbert,  Bishop  of  Lu9on,  wrote  to  his 
brother,  in  recommending  Bossuet  for  the  post  : “ He  preaches  an 
austere  morality,  but  one  that  is  thoroughly  Christian.  Those  who 
know  him  say  that  he  lives  in  accordance  with  the  precepts  he  lays 
down.  He  has  always  appeared  to  me  to  have  much  intelligence,  and  I 
know  that  he  is  a high-principled  man.  His  face  does  not  belie  him, 
for  it  is  very  intellectual.  In  manner,  he  is  unassuming,  pleasant,  and 
courteous.  In  short,  I know  nothing  of  him  but  what  is  good.”  Quoted 
in  Clement’s  Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIV. , p.  56. 

108 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


he  exercised  in  the  confessional  an  influence  which  few 
members  of  his  Church  have  wielded  either  before  or 
since.  “ How  many  in  that  Court,”  remarks  one  of 
his  biographers,  “ received  from  the  great  bishop  counsel, 
light,  hope,  consolation,  new  life  ? ” 1 

It  is  an  error  to  suppose,  as  more  than  one  writer  has, 
that  it  was  on  Bossuet’s  advice  that  Madame  de  La 
Valli&re  first  conceived  the  idea  of  entering  the  Carmel- 
ites ; she  would  appear  to  have  fully  made  up  her  mind 
to  take  this  step  some  time  before  she  consulted  the 
bishop.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  there  can  be  no  ques- 
tion that  he  both  confirmed  her  in  her  resolution  and 
did  much  to  remove  the  difficulties  which  lay  in  her 
way.2  Perceiving  that  if  Madame  de  Montespan  could 
be  induced  to  give  her  consent,  that  of  the  King 
would  not  be  difficult  to  obtain,  he  consented,  at  the 
duchess’s  request,  to  treat  with  the  favourite  on  her 
behalf.  The  reception  he  met  with  was  not  an  en- 
couraging one.  “ Madame  de  La  Valliere  has  con- 
strained me  to  speak  on  the  subject  of  her  vocation 
to  Madame  de  Montespan,”  he  writes  to  Marechal  de 
Bellefonds.  “ I said  what  was  necessary,  and  made  her 
understand,  so  far  as  I could,  how  wrong  it  would  be  to 
hinder  her  in  her  good  intentions.  There  is  no  great 
objection  to  her  retirement,  but  it  seems  that  the  idea  of 
the  Carmelites  is  alarming.  She  has  done  all  she  could  to 
cover  this  resolution  with  ridicule.  I trust  that  by-and-by 
a different  feeling  will  prevail  in  regard  to  it.”3 

1 Abbe  Pauthe’s  Madame  de  La  Vallilre.  La  morale  de  Bossuet  a la 
Cour  de  Louis  XIV. 

2 Bossuet  is  also  said  to  have  assisted  her  in  the  composition  of  her 
famous  Reflexions  sur  la  misericorde  de  Dieu , which  she  wrote  on  her 
recovery  from  the  illness  of  which  we  have  spoken. 

3 Letter  of  December  25,  1673. 

109 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


To  the  exhortations  of  the  good  bishop  Madame  de 
Montespan  responded  by  despatching  Madame  Scarron 
and  her  prudent  counsels  to  the  penitent.  The  gouver- 
nante  did  everything  in  her  power  to  induce  La  Valliere 
to  abandon  her  intention  of  taking  the  veil,  and  suggested 
that  she  should  enter  the  convent  as  a benefactress  until 
she  had  assured  herself  that  her  strength  would  be  equal 
to  observing  its  regulations.  Thus  she  could  serve  God 
in  peace  and  quiet  without  taking  any  step  which  she 
might  hereafter  have  cause  to  regret.  Madame  Scarron 
might  have  added  that,  as  such  a proceeding  was  common 
enough,  it  would  cast  no  reflection  upon  La  Valliere’s 
successor  in  the  royal  favour. 

The  duchess  curtly  replied  that  what  was  proposed 
would  not  be  penance  at  all,  since  it  would  involve 
nothing  more  trying  than  a separation  from  her  friends  ; 
and  when  Madame  Scarron  proceeded  to  enlarge  upon 
the  hardships  and  privations  which  were  imposed  upon 
the  regular  members  of  the  Carmelite  community, 
answered  that  for  some  months  past  she  had  been  sleeping 
on  the  bare  ground,  wearing  sackcloth,  and  habituating 
herself  to  all  the  austere  practices  of  the  nuns  in  the  Rue 
Saint-Jacques.  Many  years  afterwards,  Madame  Scarron, 
then  Marquise  de  Maintenon,  instanced  the  replies  of 
La  Valliere  on  this  occasion  as  an  edifying  example  of  the 
effects  of  grace.  Whether  she  appreciated  the  sincerity  of 
the  duchess’s  conversion  so  well  at  the  time  is  very  doubt- 
ful. It  is  more  than  possible  that  she  shared  the  opinion 
of  the  majority  of  the  Court  ladies,  voiced  by  Madame 
de  S6vigne  in  a letter  to  her  daughter  : “ Madame  de 
La  Valliere  talks  no  more  about  retiring  ; it  is  enough 
to  have  announced  her  intention.  Her  waiting-woman 
threw  herself  at  her  feet  to  dissuade  her  from  doing  so. 

i io 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Could  she  resist  such  an  appeal  P”1  Almost  at  the  same 
time  the  same  writer  was  exalting  the  piety  of  Madame 
de  Montespan’s  sister,  Madame  de  Thianges,  “ who  had 
left  off  rouge,2  covered  her  neck,  and  was  the  very  pink  of 
modish  devotion.”3 

At  length  the  persistence  ot  La  Valliere  and  the 
representations  of  Bossuet  triumphed ; Madame  de 
Montespan  withdrew  her  objections  ; the  King  gave 
a reluctant  consent,  and  the  duchess  set  about  her 
preparations  for  departure.  “ I send  you  a letter  from 
the  Duchesse  de  La  Valliere,”  writes  Bossuet  to  Belle- 
fonds,  “ which  will  show  you  that,  by  the  grace  of 
God,  she  is  going  to  carry  out  the  intentions  that  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  implanted  in  her  heart.  The  whole 
Court  is  edified  and  astonished  at  her  tranquillity  and 
cheerfulness,  which  increases  as  the  time  draws  nearer. 
Indeed,  there  is  something  so  heavenly  in  her  mind 
that  I cannot  think  of  it  without  a continual  thanks- 
giving. The  strength  and  humility  which  accompany 
all  her  thoughts  are  surely  the  mark  of  the  Finger  of 
God,  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Her  affairs  have  been 
arranged  with  a wonderful  ease  ; she  breathes  nothing 
save  penitence,  and  without  being  alarmed  at  the  austerity 
of  the  life  which  she  is  about  to  embrace,  she  looks 
forward  to  the  end  with  a hope  which  causes  her  to  forget 
the  suffering.  I am  both  delighted  and  dumbfounded  by 

1 Madame  de  Sdvign6  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  December  15, 
1 673- 

2 This  was  the  usual  outward  sign  of  devotion  in  those  days.  As 
soon  as  a lady  had  resolved  to  embrace  religion,  she  publicly  announced 
her  intention  by  appearing  with  her  natural  complexion.  No  one  ever 
doubted  the  sincerity  of  a person  who  was  prepared  to  undergo  so 
terrible  a mortification. 

2 Madame  de  Scvigne  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  January  5,  1674. 

1 1 1 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


her  conduct  ! I talk  and  she  acts  ! The  words  are  mine, 
the  deeds  are  hers  ! When  I dwell  upon  these  things,  I 
enter  into  her  longing  for  silence  and  retirement.  I 
cannot  utter  a single  word  but  what  sounds  like  my  own 
condemnation.”  1 

April  21  was  the  day  fixed  for  La  Valliere’s  retirement 
to  the  Carmelites.  The  Court  was  then  at  Fontainebleau : 
that  beautiful  spot,  which  had  been  the  scene  of  her  fall, 
was  to  be  the  scene  also  of  her  final  farewell  of  the  world. 
On  the  1 8th  she  timidly  submitted  to  the  King  a list  of 
pensions  which  she  wished  to  bestow  : two  thousand  icus 
to  her  mother,  Madame  de  Saint-Remi,  two  thousand 
livres  to  her  married  sister,  Madame  de  Hautefeuille,  and 
a hundred  livres  to  each  of  her  servants.  She  also  gave 
some  souvenirs — rings,  bracelets,  and  so  forth — to  her 
personal  friends  ; the  remainder  of  her  jewellery  she  divided 
between  her  son  and  daughter. 

Two  days  later  the  duchess  began  her  farewell  visits, 
“ like  a princess  taking  leave  of  a foreign  Court.” 
Etiquette,  of  course,  demanded  that  she  should  bid  adieu 
to  the  King ; moreover,  that  the  interview  should  be  in 
public.  It  was  a trying  moment  for  both.  Egotist 
though  he  was,  Louis  was  deeply  moved,  and  made  no 
attempt  to  restrain  his  tears.  The  woman,  however, 
showed  herself  stronger  than  the  man.  Fearing  some 
useless  return  of  tenderness,  La  Valliere  made  a profound 
reverence  and  retired. 

From  the  King’s  apartments  she  proceeded  to  those  or 
the  Queen.  She  had  resolved,  in  spite  of  the  remon- 
strances of  her  friends,  that  as  her  sin  had  been  public,  her 
penance  should  be  public  too,  and  now,  throwing  herself 
at  her  Majesty’s  feet,  she  implored  her  forgiveness  for  the 

1 (Euvres  completes,  xi.  19  ; Letter  of  April  6,  1674. 

I 12 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


humiliations  she  had  inflicted  upon  her  and  the  wrong  she 
had  done  her.  And  the  good  Queen,  who  had  long  since 
forgiven  her,  raised  her  up,  and,  embracing  her,  assured 
her  once  more  of  her  pardon. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  touching  nature  of  these  adieux 
had  begun  to  disquiet  Madame  de  Montespan,  who,  accord- 
ingly, pounced  upon  the  penitent  ex-favourite,  and,  with 
many  expressions  of  sympathy,  carried  her  off  to  her  own 
apartments,  where,  it  is  interesting  to  note,  La  Valliere 
partook  of  her  last  meal  at  the  Court.  The  following 
morning  the  duchess  was  present  at  the  King’s  mass,  and 
Louis,  as  on  the  previous  day,  was  unable  to  restrain  his 
emotion  ; indeed,  an  hour  later  the  observant  courtiers 
remarked  that  his  Majesty’s  eyes  were  still  red  with 
weeping.  On  leaving  the  chapel,  La  Valliere  entered  a 
coach  that  was  in  waiting  and  set  out  for  Paris.  Her  two 
children  accompanied  her,  while  some  of  her  friends  and 
relatives  followed  in  another  carriage.  A great  crowd  had 
assembled  to  witness  her  departure,  and  the  ex-favourite, 
who  was  attired  in  a ravishing  toilette,  bowed  and  smiled 
to  all  her  acquaintances  with  as  much  unconcern  as  if 
she  were  bound  upon  some  pleasure  trip,  instead  of  on 
her  way  to  what  those  about  her ' regarded  as  a living 
death. 

At  the  gate  of  the  Carmelites  she  was  received  by  the 
prioress.  “ My  mother,”  said  the  duchess  to  her,  “ I 
have  made  all  my  life  such  a bad  use  of  my  will  that  I am 
come  to  surrender  it  into  your  hands,  once  and  for  all.” 
Desiring,  as  far  as  possible,  to  anticipate  her  vows,  she  then 
demanded,  as  a special  favour,  permission  to  at  once  assume 
the  dress  of  a nun,  and,  her  request  having  been  granted, 
hastened  to  exchange  the  costly  gown  which  she  was  wearing 
for  the  coarse  robe  of  the  convent,  The  same  evening 

•13  h 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


she  cut  off  her  hair.  This  essentially  feminine  sacrifice 
soon  got  noised  abroad,  and  convinced  even  the  sceptics 
that  the  world  had  seen  the  last  of  Louise  de  La 
Valli&re.1 

1 Lair’s  Louise  de  La  V alliere  et  la  jeunesse  de  Louis  XIV.,  p.  291  et  seq. 


114 


CHAPTER  IX 

Madame  de  Montespan  “ thunderous  and  triumphant” — Her 
magnificence — Extraordinary  consideration  shown  to  her — 
Infatuation  of  the  King — Complaisance  of  Maria  Theresa — 
Madame  de  Montespan  obtains  the  dismissal  of  the  Queen’s 
maids  of  honour — The  Queen  compelled  to  ask  favours  of 
Madame  de  Montespan — Madame  de  Montespan  declines  to 
accept  a present  of  jewellery  from  the  King — Letter  from 
Louis  XIV.  to  Colbert  on  this  subject — The  King  builds  the 
Chateau  of  Clagny  for  Madame  de  Montespan — Madame  de 
Sevigne’s  description  of  its  gardens — The  cost  of  its  con- 
struction. 

And  at  Versailles,  Fontainebleau,  and  Saint-Germain,  La 
Valli£re’s  triumphant  rival,  her  husband  disarmed,  her 
children  legitimated,  stood  forth  in  the  full  blaze  of  her 
shameless  glory.  No  Court  of  modern  times  has  surpassed 
in  splendour  that  of  le  Grand  Monarque ; no  favourite,  not 
excepting  even  Madame  de  Pompadour,  has  excelled 
Madame  de  Montespan  in  prodigal  magnificence.  If 
Louis  XIV.  denied  his  mistress  political  influence,  he 
denied  her  nothing  else,  and  princely  chateaux,  gorgeous 
equipages,  costly  jewellery,  and  resplendent  toilettes  made 
their  appearance  at  the  first  semblance  of  a wish  as  at  the 
wave  of  some  magician’s  wand.  Madame  de  Sevign6  has 
described  to  us  that  wonderful  robe  of  “ gold  upon  gold, 
with  a double  gold  border,  embroidered  with  one  sort  of 
gold  blended  with  another  sort,  which  makes  up  the 

>iS 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


divinest  stuff  ever  invented  by  the  wit  of  man.”  1 And 
on  another  occasion  she  writes  : “ Madame  de  Montespan 
was  dressed  entirely  in  point  de  France  ; her  hair  arranged 
in  a thousand  curls,  the  two  from  her  temples  hanging 
very  low  upon  her  cheeks  ; black  ribbons  on  her  head, 
with  the  pearls  of  the  Marechale  de  l’Hopital,2  and,  in 
addition,  diamond  clasps  and  pendants  of  the  greatest 
beauty  ; three  or  four  jewelled  pins  ; no  coif ; in  a word, 
a triumph  of  beauty  that  threw  all  the  Ambassadors  into 
admiring  wonder.”  When  she  travelled,  a number  of  the 
royal  guards  were  invariably  told  off  to  escort  her.  She 
passed  through  the  provinces  in  a six-horse  coach,  followed 
by  another  coach,  also  drawn  by  six  horses,  in  which  sat 
her  waiting-women,  while  a train  of  baggage-waggons, 
sumpter-mules,  and  men-servants  on  horseback  brought 
up  the  rear.  When  she  entered  a town,  the  municipal 
authorities  waited  upon  her  to  pay  their  respects,  and 
governors  and  intendants  offered  her  their  homage.  If 
she  had  been  Queen  of  France,  she  could  not  have  been 
treated  with  greater  consideration. 

The  Queen,  indeed,  was  relegated  to  quite  a secondary 
position.  Louis  XIV.  spent  nearly  the  whole  of  his  time 
in  Madame  de  Montespan’s  society,  and  even  transacted 
business  with  his  Ministers  in  her  apartments.  She  and 
her  children  generally  dined  with  him  in  his  cabinet,  on 

1 It  was  the  gift  of  an  accomplished  courtier,  Langlee  by  name,  a 
great  authority  on  matters  of  dress,  jewellery,  and  furniture,  and  one  of 
the  most  successful  gamesters  of  his  day,  and  was  sent  to  Madame  de 
Montespan  anonymously. 

2 “Larger  than  those  of  the  Queen,”  says  Mademoiselle  de 
Montpensier.  Marechale  de  l’Hopital  appears  to  have  sold  them  to  the 
King.  She  had  offered  them  in  1659,  in  exchange  for  the  post  of 
dame  d'honneur  to  the  future  Queen.  Her  offer  was  not  accepted, 
however,  and  the  Duchesse  de  Navailles  was  appointed. 

1 16 


f-.-l-l:  I",  •'iif/'  1 • .i.l 


FRANCOISE  ATHENA1S  DE  ROCHECHOUART 

(Marouise  de  Montespan) 

From  an  Engraving  after  a Painting  by  An  Unknown  Artist 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


which  occasions  no  one  but  the  Dauphin  and  Monsieur 
were  allowed  to  enter,  and  he  drove  about  with  his  mistress 
seated  by  his  side,  while  his  unfortunate  consort  followed 
in  another  carriage.  When  Versailles  was  finished,  the 
Queen  was  allotted  eleven  rooms  on  the  second  floor  ; 
Madame  de  Montespan  twenty  on  the  first.  The  Queen’s 
train  was  borne  by  a simple  page  ; Madame  de  Montes- 
pan’s  by  a pair  de  France , the  Due  de  Noailles.1 

Poor  Maria  Theresa,  however,  had  long  since  recog- 
nised the  utter  futility  of  remonstrance  and  had  found 
consolation  for  the  loss  of  her  husband’s  affection  in 
devotional  exercises  and  works  of  charity.  So  resigned 
did  she  eventually  become  that  when  one  of  her  ladies 
happened  to  report  that  the  King  was  casting  tender  glances 
at  some  new  beauty,  she  would  shrug  her  shoulders  and 
remark,  “ That  is  Madame  de  Montespan’s  affair.” 

It  was  fortunate  for  her  that  she  had  succeeded  in 
schooling  herself  to  complaisance,  for  it  had  already 

1 Anne  Jules  de  Noailles  (1650-1708),  at  this  time  aide-de-camp  to 
the  King.  According  to  Mellot  ( Memoires  politiques  et  militaires),  he 
saved  Louis’s  life  at  the  siege  of  Valenciennes  in  1674.  The  King  was 
standing  in  a place  much  exposed  to  the  fire  from  the  town,  and  Noailles 
besought  him  to  move  out  of  danger.  Louis  reluctantly  consented,  and 
scarcely  had  he  done  so,  when  a cannon-shot  struck  the  very  spot  on 
which  he  had  stood.  In  May  1689  Noailles  was  appointed  Governor 
of  Languedoc,  with  orders  to  extirpate  Protestantism,  and  earned 
unenviable  notoriety  by  his  persecution  of  the  unfortunate  Calvinists. 
He  was  made  marechal  dc  France  in  1693,  and  served  with  considerable 
distinction  in  Spain.  Saint-Simon  represents  the  duke  in  an  odious 
light  ; while  that  arch-calumniator  the  Princess  Palatine  accuses  him 
of  being  the  father  of  Madame  de  Montespan’s  youngest  daughter, 
Mademoiselle  de  Blois.  His  wife  (nee  Marie  Fran^oise  de  Bournonville), 
by  whom  he  had  no  less  than  twenty-one  children,  was  a very  clever 
and  charming  woman,  and  one  of  Madame  de  Montespan’s  most  intimate 
friends. 

”7 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


become  apparent  that  the  favourite  had  it  in  her  power  to 
make  things  exceedingly  unpleasant  for  the  first  lady  in 
the  land.  On  her  marriage,  Maria  Theresa  had  been  given 
twelve  maids  of  honour,  and  this  arrangement  continued 
until  1673,  when  Madame  de  Montespan  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  to  allow  so  many  charming  young  ladies 
about  the  Queen  was  to  throw  temptation  in  the  King’s 
way,  and,  accordingly,  induced  his  Majesty  to  make  the 
misconduct  of  one  of  the  damsels  an  excuse  for  dismiss- 
ing them  en  bloc  and  supplying  their  places  with  twelve 
dames  du  palais , whom  the  marchioness,  we  may  presume, 
took  care  should  be  as  elderly  and  unprepossessing  as 
possible. 

On  another  occasion,  a Spanish  lady  in  the  Queen’s 
service  had  the  misfortune  to  offend  the  haughty  sultana, 
and  the  latter  having  complained  to  the  King,  Louis  gave 
orders  for  the  delinquent  to  be  sent  away.  Maria  Theresa, 
however,  addressed  herself  to  her  rival  and  implored  her, 
as  a personal  favour,  to  intercede  with  his  Majesty  and 
obtain  permission  for  the  lady  to  remain,  a request  to 
which  the  marchioness  was  graciously  pleased  to  accede. 
“ The  Queen  is  overjoyed,”  writes  Madame  de  S6vign6, 
“ and  declares  that  she  will  never  forget  the  obligation 
under  which  Madame  de  Montespan  has  placed  her.” 

A letter  from  Louis  XIV.  to  Colbert,  who  served  as 
the  medium  for  the  King’s  correspondence  with  his 
mistress  during  his  absence  with  the  army,  will  convey  some 
idea  of  the  lengths  to  which  the  monarch’s  infatuation 
carried  him.  Shortly  before  setting  out  for  the  campaign 
of  1674,  Louis  had  offered  to  make  Madame  de  Montespan 
a present  of  some  magnificent  jewellery  which  had  come 
into  the  market ; but  the  lady  had  replied  that  she  could 
not  think  of  accepting  so  costly  a gift.  His  Majesty, 

1 18 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


charmed  by  her  self-denial,  determined  that  she  should  not 
be  the  loser  thereby,  and  wrote  to  Colbert  as  follows : — 

Louis  XIV.  to  Colbert. 

“ Camp  near  Dole, 

“June  9. 

“ Madame  de  Montespan  absolutely  refuses  to  accept 
the  jewellery  ; but,  in  order  that  she  may  not  lose  by  that, 
it  is  my  wish  that  you  have  a little  casket  made,  to  contain 
the  articles  which  I am  about  to  specify,  so  that  I may 
have  something  to  lend  her  at  any  time  that  she  may 
require.  This  may  appear  extraordinary,  but  she  is  not 
inclined  to  listen  to  reason  at  the  present  moment. 

“ The  casket  must  contain  a pearl  necklace,  and  I wish 
it  to  be  of  fine  quality;  two  pairs  of  ear-rings,  one  of 
diamonds,  which  must  be  fine  ones,  and  one  of  other  stones; 
a case  with  diamond  fastenings  ; a case  with  fastenings 
of  different  kinds  of  stones,  which  must  be  removable 
two  at  a time.  I require  stones  of  different  colours,  so 
as  to  allow  of  them  being  changed.  I shall  also  want  a 
pair  of  pearl  ear-rings. 

“You  must  also  procure  four  dozen  studs,  in  which  the 
central  stones  must  be  removable,  while  the  outer  circle 
must  consist  of  small  diamonds.  You  must  have  the 
stones  prepared  accordingly. 

“ I tell  you  this  in  good  time,  in  order  that  you  may 
have  ample  leisure  to  have  it  made,  and  that  every  care 
may  be  taken  to  have  everything  as  beautiful  and  perfect 
as  possible.  1 shall  be  able  occasionally  to  make  use  of 
this  jewellery  myself  for  another  purpose,  if  it  is  properly 
made,  for  this  casket  will  always  be  at  hand  for  me  to  take 
from  it  anything  that  I may  judge  suitable. 

“ It  will  be  necessary  to  go  to  some  expense  over  this  ; 

”9 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


but  I am  quite  prepared  for  it,  and  it  is  my  wish  that 
the  work  should  not  be  done  hurriedly.  Send  me  word 
what  steps  you  are  taking  in  the  matter  and  when  you  are 
likely  to  have  everything  ready.”  1 

Madame  de  Montespan’s  reluctance,  or  pretended  re- 
luctance, to  accept  the  present  we  have  just  spoken  of  was 
no  doubt  prompted  by  the  fact  that  his  Majesty  was  about 
to  make  her  one  of  a different  kind,  beside  which  the 
most  costly  specimens  of  the  jeweller’s  art  would  have 
appeared  hardly  worthy  of  notice.  In  the  autumn  of 
1665,  with  the  idea  of  enlarging  the  park  surrounding 
his  father’s  little  hunting-lodge,  which  was  soon  to  be 
transformed  into  the  magnificent  Chateau  of  Versailles, 
Louis  XIV.  had  purchased  from  the  governors  of  the 
Hospice  des  Incurables  at  Paris  the  estate  of  Clagny. 
Here  he  built  for  Madame  de  Montespan  a little  pleasure- 
house  ; but,  when  she  was  taken  to  see  it,  the  lady 
was  dissatisfied,  and  contemptuously  remarked  that  it 
was  only  fit  for  an  opera-girl.  Thereupon,  his  Majesty 
immediately  gave  orders  for  it  to  be  pulled  down,  and 
commissioned  the  famous  architect  Mansart  to  design  a 
splendid  palace  in  its  place.  “Your  son  has  transmitted 
to  me  the  plan  for  the  house  at  Clagny,”  writes  Louis  to 
Colbert,  at  the  end  of  May  1774.  “ I have  no  answer  to 

send  you  at  present,  as  I wish  to  ascertain  what  Madame 
de  Montespan  thinks  about  it.”  A few  days  later,  the 
divinity  having  in  the  meanwhile  condescended  to  approve 
of  Mansart’s  efforts,  the  King  writes  again:  “I  have 
told  your  son  to  send  you  the  plan  for  the  house  at 
Clagny,  and  to  inform  you  that,  after  having  examined  it 
with  Madame  de  Montespan,  we  both  approve  of  it,  and 

1 Quoted  in  Clement’s  Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIV.,  p.  221. 

1 20 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


that  it  must  be  begun  at  once  ; I believe  that  they  have 
already  commenced  building.  Madame  de  Montespan  is 
most  anxious  that  the  garden  should  be  planted  this 
autumn.  Do  everything  that  will  be  necessary  to  oblige 
her  in  this  matter,  and  let  me  know  what  steps  you  have 
taken  to  do  so.” 

Anything  more  beautiful  than  this  chateau  it  would  be 
difficult  to  conceive.  In  shape  it  was  somewhat  similar  to 
that  of  Versailles,  having  two  wings  at  right  angles  to  the 
main  buildings,  and,  like  Versailles,  faced  east  and  west. 
On  the  ground-floor  was  a gallery,  210  feet  long  and 
25  feet  broad,  adorned  with  pictures  representing  various 
scenes  in  the  iEneid,  and  groups  in  relief,  and  terminating, 
on  one  side  of  the  house,  in  a magnificent  orangery  paved 
with  marble,  and,  on  the  other,  in  a chapel,  in  the  decoration 
of  which  the  most  famous  artists  of  the  day  had  been 
employed.  The  centre  of  the  rez-de-chauss&e  was  occupied 
by  a spacious  salon  surmounted  by  a dome,  and  the 
grand  staircase  had  been  constructed  on  an  entirely  novel 
plan.1 

What,  however,  seems  to  have  aroused  the  most  admir- 
ation were  the  gardens,  which  Madame  de  Montespan  had 
been  so  anxious  to  have  planted,  and  the  laying-out  of 
which  had  been  entrusted  to  Le  Notre.2  When  Le  Notre 
received  the  commission,  he  represented  to  the  King  that 

1 Cimber  and  Danjou’s  Archives  curie  uses  de  Fhistoire  de  France ; Fie 
de  J.  B.  Colbert,  vol.  ix.  p.  28.  Livre  de  tous  les  plans,  profits,  et  eleva- 
tions du  Chasteau  de  Clagny,  par  Jules  Hardouin  Mansart  (Paris,  1680, 
fob).  The  British  Museum  possesses  a copy  of  the  latter  work,  a very 
rare  and  valuable  one. 

2 Andre  Le  Notre  (1613-1670).  He  designed  the  majority  of  the 
most  beautiful  gardens  of  his  time,  including  those  of  Vaux-le-Vicomte 
(the  ill-fated  Fouquet’s  chateau),  Chantilly,  Fontainebleau,  Sceaux, 
Saint-Cloud,  Versailles,  and  the  Tuileries.  In  1775,  Louis  XIV. 

121 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


the  grounds  of  the  chateau  were  not  extensive  enough  to 
enable  him  to  accomplish  anything  out  of  the  common,  so 
Louis  acquired,  at  great  expense,  the  adjoining  estate  of 
Glatigny,  and  this,  when  united  to  Clagny,  gave  the 
celebrated  gardener  full  scope  for  his  genius.  Madame 
de  S£vign6,  who  visited  the  chateau  in  August  1675,  thus 
describes  the  result  : — 

“ The  gardens  are  finished.  You  are  well  acquainted 
with  Le  Notre’s  style.  He  has  left  a little  shady  wood 
remaining,  which  has  an  admirable  effect,  and  has  planted 
a grove  of  orange-trees,  tall  enough  to  afford  some  protec- 
tion from  the  sun,  in  large  tubs.  It  is  divided  into  walks 
and  alleys,  bounded  on  both  sides  by  palisades,  all  ablaze 
with  tuberoses,  roses,  jessamine,  and  pinks.  This  flowery 
fence  serves  to  conceal  the  tubs  in  which  the  orange-trees 
are  planted,  and  thus  gives  one  the  impression  that  they 
are  growing  out  of  the  ground  ; and  the  appearance  of  a 
natural  orange-grove  in  our  climate  is  assuredly  the  most 
beautiful,  the  most  surprising,  the  most  enchanting  novelty 
that  can  be  imagined.”1 

All  this  magnificence  was,  of  course,  not  obtained 
without  vast  expense.  The  accounts,  which  have  fortu- 
nately been  preserved,  show  that  the  estates  of  Clagny 
and  Glatigny  cost  405,502  livres,  and  the  construction  of 
the  chateau  and  its  dependencies,  including  the  gardens, 
2,456,218  livres,  7 sous,  8 deniers,  which  gives  a total  of 


having  ennobled  him  and  given  him  the  Cross  of  Saint-Michel,  wished 
to  give  him  a coat-of-arms  as  well.  Le  Notre  replied  that  he  had  one 
already,  and  that  it  consisted  of  three  snails  surmounted  by  a cabbage- 
head.  “ Sire,”  added  he,  “ can  I forget  my  spade  ? How  dear  ought 
it  not  to  be  to  me,  since  it  is  to  it  that  I am  indebted  for  the  favours 
with  which  your  Majesty  honours  me  ! ” 

1 Madame  de  S6vign£  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  August  7,  1675. 


122 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


2,861,728  livres,  7 sous,  8 deniers,  or  over  half  a million 
sterling  in  money  of  to-day.1 

On  Madame  de  Montespan’s  death,  in  May  1707, 
Clagny  reverted  to  the  Due  du  Maine.  From  him  it 
passed  to  his  eldest  son,  the  Prince  de  Dombes,  and 
thence  to  the  latter’s  brother,  the  Comte  d’Eu,  who  sold 
it  in  1 766  to  the  Dauphiness  Marie  Josephe.  When,  in 
the  following  year,  the  Dauphiness  died,  Louis  XV.  gave 
orders  for  it  to  be  pulled  down. 

1 Le  Roi’s  Histoire  de  Versailles , i.  8. 


123 


CHAPTER  X 


Louis  XIV.  heaps  favours  upon  Madame  de  Montespan’s 
relatives  and  children — La  Grande  Mademoiselle  and  her 
suitors — The  Comte  de  Lauzun — Anecdotes  about  him — He 
incurs  the  enmity  of  Madame  de  Montespan — Mademoiselle 
conceives  a violent  passion  for  him — And  determines  to 
marry  him — An  amusing  courtship — Diplomacy  of  Lauzun 
— “ C'est  vous ! ” — Lauzun  accepts  Mademoiselle' s offer  of  her 
hand — And  induces  her  to  make  a donation  in  his  favour  of 
the  bulk  of  her  property — Mademoiselle  writes  to  the  King 
— The  King’s  reply — Interview  between  Mademoiselle  and 
Louis  XIV. — The  King  gives  his  consent  to  the  marriage — 
Mademoiselle  and  Lauzun  announce  their  approaching  union 
— Astonishment  of  the  Court — Indignation  of  the  Royal 
Family — Opposition  of  Louvois  and  other  Ministers  — 
Madame  de  Montespan  uses  her  influence  to  stop  the  mar- 
riage— The  King  withdraws  his  sanction — A painful  scene 
— Despair  of  Mademoiselle — Lauzun  is  arrested  and  sent  to 
Pignerol — Probable  reason  for  the  King’s  harsh  treatment  of 
him — His  rigorous  imprisonment — Mademoiselle  endeavours 
to  procure  his  release — Pretended  sympathy  of  Madame  de 
Montespan — Mademoiselle  offers  to  settle  some  of  her  wealth 
on  the  Due  du  Maine  in  return  for  Lauzun’s  pardon — Inter- 
view with  the  King — Extravagant  demands  of  Madame  de 
Montespan — Mademoiselle  compelled  to  acquiesce — Lauzun’s 
consent  required — Madame  de  Montespan  and  Lauzun  meet 
at  Bourbon — Lauzun  obdurate — He  is  imprisoned  at  Chalon- 
sur-Saone — Second  meeting  between  him  and  Madame  de 
Montespan — He  consents  to  her  conditions  and  is  liberated 
— But  refused  permission  to  return  to  Court. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  King’s  bounty  was  far  from 
being  confined  to  Madame  de  Montespan  herself;  honours 

124 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


and  riches  were  showered  upon  her  relatives  and  her 
children.  Her  father,  the  Due  de  Mortemart,  was  made 
governor  of  Paris;  her  brother,  the  Due  de  Vivonne, 
general  of  the  galleys,  governor  of  Champagne,  and 
marechal  de  France  ; 1 one  of  her  sisters,  the  Marquise  de 
Thianges,  was  granted  a pension  of  9000  livres  and  a 
gratification  of  6000  livres ; another,  Gabrielle  de  Roche- 
chouart,  a nun  of  Poissy,  who  had  only  pronounced  her 
vows  four  years  before,  was  made  abbess  of  Fontevrault, 
to  the  disgust  of  the  nuns  and  “ the  astonishment  and 
affliction  of  the  Pope.”  2 As  for  the  children,  the  Comte 
de  Vexin  was  hardly  out  of  the  nursery  before  his  royal 
father  made  him  abbot  of  both  Saint-Denis  and  Saint- 

1 He  was  one  of  the  batch  of  marshals  appointed  in  July  1675  after 
the  death  of  Turenne — “the  small  change  for  Turenne,”  the  witty 
Madame  Cornuel  called  them.  His  appointment,  if  we  are  to  believe 
the  following  story,  which  the  Abbe  de  Choisy  relates  in  his  Memoires , 
was  entirely  due  to  the  intervention  of  his  sister  : “ The  King  had 
drawn  up  with  Louvois  the  list  of  those  whom  he  intended  to  honour 
with  the  baton  of  marechal  de  France;  and,  after  doing  so,  went  to 
visit  Madame  de  Montespan,  who,  while  rummaging  in  his  pockets, 
came  upon  this  list,  and,  not  finding  the  name  of  M.  de  Vivonne,  her 
brother,  flew  into  a rage  worthy  of  her.  The  King,  who  could  not, 
and  dared  not,  oppose  her  to  her  face,  stammered,  and  said  that  M.  de 
Louvois  must  have  forgotten  to  put  it  down.  ‘Send  for  him  this 
moment  ! ’ cried  she,  in  an  imperious  tone,  and  reprimanded  him  as  he 
deserved.  Louvois  was  sent  for,  and  the  King  having  suggested  to  him 
very  kindly  that  doubtless  he  had  overlooked  Vivonne,  the  Minister 
accepted  the  responsibility  and  acknowledged  the  error  that  he  had  not 
committed.  This  time  Vivonne  was  placed  on  the  list  ; the  lady  was 
appeased,  and  contented  herself  with  reproaching  Louvois  for  his  negli- 
gence in  a matter  which  touched  her  so  closely.” — Memoires  de  l' Abbe 
de  Choisy  (edit.  1888),  ii.  33. 

3 Three  dispensations  were  required  : the  first,  because  she  was  not 
yet  twenty-five;  the  second,  because  she  had  not  worn  the  veil  for  five 
years ; and  the  third,  because  she  had  changed  her  Order. 

125 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Germain-des-Pres,  in  spite  of  vigorous  remonstrances 
from  the  Vatican,  and  even  talked  of  giving  him  the 
Abbey  of  Cluny  as  well,  though  this  establishment  was 
the  chief  of  its  Order  and  its  superior  had  always  been  an 
ecclesiastic;  but  the  little  count’s  early  death  prevented 
this  scandal.  His  elder  brother,  the  Due  du  Maine,  as  an 
earnest  of  what  he  might  expect  when  he  arrived  at  man’s 
estate,  was  appointed  captain  of  the  Hundred  Swiss, 
colonel  of  a regiment  which  henceforth  bore  his  name, 
and  governor  of  Languedoc.  Nor  did  his  good  fortune, 
even  as  a boy,  by  any  means  end  there. 

We  have  mentioned,  in  speaking  of  the  birth  of  the  little 
duke,  a certain  Comte  de  Lauzun,  who  took  charge  of  the 
child  immediately  he  was  born  and  carried  him  off  in  a 
coach  to  Paris.  By  a singular  coincidence,  it  was  to  the 
misfortunes  of  this  same  nobleman  that  the  Due  du  Maine 
was  indebted  for  the  fact  that  before  he  was  twelve  years 
old  he  found  himself  the  possessor  of  immense  wealth. 

Mademoiselle  de  Montpensier,  la  Grande  Mademoiselle , 
was  at  this  time  the  richest  heiress  in  Europe;  indeed,  as 
her  mother,  Marie  de  Bourbon,  heiress  of  the  House  of 
Montpensier,  had  died  in  giving  her  birth,  she  may  be  said 
to  have  had  the  role  of  demoiselle  a marier  from  infancy. 
Seldom  has  any  lady  had  so  many  suitors  of  exalted 
rank.  The  Emperor  Ferdinand  III.,  Philip  IV.  King  of 
Spain,  Alfonso  VI.  of  Portugal,  Charles  II.  of  England 
(then,  however,  a king  without  a kingdom),1  Monsieur, 
Louis  XIV. ’s  brother,  the  Dukes  of  Savoy,  Lorraine,  and 

1 Charles  II.  was  very  anxious  indeed  to  get  possession  ofMademoiselle’s 
wealth,  in  order  to  aid  him  in  recovering  his  crown,  and  even  promised 
“ to  sacrifice  his  conscience  and  his  salvation  for  her  ” ; in  other  words, 
embrace  the  Roman  Catholic  faith.  The  princess,  however,  had  no 
mind  to  risk  her  fortune  in  what  she  considered  a hopeless  struggle, 

126 


IHO'CI 

■>Vs  \Y  . > \ 


■ n / > , 


ANNE  MARIE  LOUISE  D’ OR  LEANS 

(Duchesse  dr  Mon'j  pensile,  called  La  Grande  Mademoiselle) 
Front  the  Engraving  by  Nicolas  de  L’Armessin  par 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Neuburg,1  and  the  Comte  de  Soissons,  prince  of  the 
blood,  were  all,  at  one  time  or  another,  pretenders  to  her 
hand ; while  it  is  quite  possible  that,  but  for  the  prominent 
part  taken  by  her  father  and  herself  in  the  wars  of  the 
Fronde,  she  might  have  had  the  chance  of  becoming  Queen 
of  France.2  Mademoiselle , however,  seems  to  have  been 
impervious  to  them  all,  with  the  exception  of  the  Emperor, 
whose  proposals  she  was  not  allowed  to  entertain,  as  they 
did  not  happen  to  accord  with  the  views  of  the  wily 

and,  in  spite  of  the  exhortations  of  the  devout  Duchesse  d’Aiguillon, 
“who  pressed  her  terribly  to  marry  Charles  if  he  would  become  a 
Catholic,  saying  that  she  would  be  responsible  to  God  for  the  salvation 
of  his  soul,”  sent  him  about  his  business. 

1 In  1653  the  Duke  of  Neuburg  sent  his  Jesuit  confessor  to 
Mademoiselle  with  proposals  of  marriage.  The  Jesuit  showed  the  princess 
a portrait  of  the  duke,  saying,  “ He  is  the  best  man  in  the  world  ; you 
will  be  extremely  happy  with  him.  His  first  wife,  who  was  a sister 
of  the  King  of  Portugal,  died  of  joy  on  his  return  from  a voyage.” 
However,  the  duke’s  offer  was  declined. 

2 In  the  spring  of  1652  her  father  sent  her  to  relieve  Orl6ans.  She 
entered  the  town  clad  in  complete  armour,  like  a second  Jeanne  d’Arc, 
and  compelled  the  Royalists  to  raise  the  siege.  She  afterwards  took  an 
active  share  in  the  defence  of  Paris  ; and  while  the  Battle  of  the 
Faubourg  Saint-Antoine  was  in  progress,  threw  herself  into  the  Bastille 
and  turned  the  cannon  of  the  fortress  on  the  King’s  troops,  thereby 
forcing  them  to  retire,  and  saving  the  beaten  army  of  Conde  from 
annihilation.  When  Mazarin,  who  with  the  Queen-Mother  and  the 
young  King  was  watching  the  fighting  from  a place  of  safety,  saw  the 
first  gun  discharged,  he  exclaimed  : “ Voila  un  coup  de  canon  qui  a tue 
un  mari!"  meaning  that  by  that  act  Mademoiselle  had  effectually 
destroyed  all  chance  she  might  have  possessed  of  marrying  Louis  XIV. 
Two  days  later,  the  Princess  exhibited  great  courage  and  humanity  in 
saving  Lefevre,  the  provost  of  the  merchants,  and  other  Royalists  from 
the  fury  of  the  mob,  which,  exasperated  by  Conde’s  defeat,  would 
otherwise  have  massacred  them  in  cold  blood.  In  fact,  throughout  the 
war  Mademoiselle  played  a very  heroic,  if  at  times  a slightly  burlesque, 
part. 


127 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Mazarin ; and  she  was  approaching  her  fortieth  year,  still 
unwed,  and,  to  all  appearance,  likely  to  remain  so,  when 
she  fell  violently  in  love  with  the  Comte  de  Lauzun,  a man 
many  years  younger  than  herself. 

A cadet  of  a noble,  but  impoverished,  Gascon  family, 
Lauzun,  who,  as  his  father  was  still  alive,  was  then  known 
as  the  Marquis  de  Puyguilhem,  had  come  to  Court  about 
1658,  where  he  quickly  succeeded  in  insinuating  himself 
into  the  good  graces  of  Louis  XIV.,  who  gave  him  a 
regiment  of  cavalry,  and  soon  afterwards  raised  him  to  the 
rank  of  general  and  created  for  him  the  post  of  colonel- 
general  of  dragoons.  La  Fare  says  of  Lauzun  that  he 
was  “ the  most  impudent  little  man  that  had  been  seen 
for  a century,”  1 and  certainly  the  stories  related  about 
him  go  far  to  bear  out  this  dictum.  Fake  the  following, 
for  example  : — 

1 Memoires  du  Marquis  de  la  Fare  (edit.  1 884),  p.  94.  Saint-Simon  has 
left  us  an  interesting  portrait  of  Lauzun,  which  certainly  does  not  depict 
him  in  a very  favourable  light  : “ A small,  fairish  man,  well  made  in  figure, 
haughty  in  countenance,  which  was  full  of  intelligence  and  imposing, 
though  the  face  was  not  agreeable  in  youth,  as  I have  been  told  by  his 
contemporaries  ; full  of  ambition,  caprices,  and  oddities  ; jealous  of 
every  one  ; always  anxious  to  get  beyond  the  goal  ; content  with 
nothing  ; unlettered,  without  any  adornment  or  charm  of  mind  ; 
naturally  quick  to  take  offence,  solitary,  morose  ; a perfect  noble  in 
all  his  habits  ; malicious  and  malignant  by  nature  even  more  than 
from  jealousy  or  ambition  ; an  excellent  friend,  when  he  was  a friend, 
which  was  rare,  and  a good  relation  ; a ready  enemy,  even  to  those 
who  did  not  interfere  with  him  ; cruel  to  defects  and  in  discovering 
cause  for  and  applying  ridicule  ; extremely  brave  and  at  the  same 
time  dangerously  rash  ; a courtier  equally  insolent,  sarcastic,  and  base 
to  servility  ; a master  of  all  the  resources  of  industry,  intrigue,  and 
villainy  to  attain  his  ends  ; and,  in  addition  to  all  this,  dangerous 
to  the  Ministers,  feared  by  every  one,  and  full  of  cruel  shafts  of  wit, 
which  spared  no  one.” — Memoires  du  Due  de  Saint-Simon  (edit. 
1881),  xx.  39. 


128 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Lauzun  was  enamoured  of  the  Princesse  de  Monaco,1 
whose  heart  he  fondly  imagined  was  his,  and  his  alone, 
when  one  fine  day  it  came  to  his  knowledge  that  the 
lady  was  carrying  on  an  intrigue  with  Louis  XIV.,  and 
that,  that  very  evening,  Bontemps,  the  King’s  confidential 
valet-de-chambre , was  to  conduct  her  muffled  in  a cloak, 
so  as  to  avoid  recognition,  by  way  of  a private  staircase, 
to  a door  which  communicated  with  his  Majesty’s  apart- 
ments. Lauzun,  who  was  of  a very  jealous  nature,  was 
highly  indignant  at  his  mistress’s  perfidy,  and  forthwith 
determined  to  see  whether  he  could  not  devise  some  plan 
to  thwart  her  intentions.  Accordingly,  he  made  a recon- 
naissance, which  resulted  in  the  discovery  that  almost 
immediately  opposite  the  door  by  which  the  princess  was 
to  be  admitted  there  was  a large  cupboard,  used  by  the 
servants  to  keep  their  brushes,  brooms,  and  so  forth, 
through  the  keyhole  of  which  it  was  possible  to  command 
a view  of  all  who  came  in  or  went  out.  Here,  some  little 
time  before  the  hour  appointed  for  the  rendezvous,  he 
concealed  himself,  and,  with  his  eye  glued  to  the  keyhole, 

1 Catherine  Charlotte  de  Gramont,  sister  of  the  celebrated  Philibert 
de  Gramont,  and  wife  of  Louis  I.,  Prince  de  Monaco.  Leaving  her 
consort  to  the  enjoyment  of  his  miniature  sovereignty,  she  lived  a 
gay  life  at  the  French  Court,  where  she  was  renowned  for  the  rapid 
succession  of  her  lovers,  every  one  of  whom  was  regularly  hung  in 
effigy  by  the  prince  in  the  avenue  leading  to  his  palace  at  Monaco, 
with  a label  round  his  neck  for  the  information  of  passers-by.  The 
number  became  so  great  that  strangers  flocked  from  far  and  near  to 
admire  the  spectacle,  and  at  length  Louis  XIV.  felt  constrained  to 
interfere.  He  ordered  the  prince  to  remove  the  effigies ; but  the  latter 
turned  a deaf  ear  to  his  suzerain’s  commands  and  continued  to  add  to 
his  collection,  until  Louis,  finding  that  his  threats  were  vain  and  the 
scandal  on  the  increase,  had  recourse  to  conciliatory  methods,  and 
promised  that  a strict  guard  should  be  kept  over  the  princess,  upon  which 
understanding  his  Highness  consented  to  do  as  he  was  required. 

1 29 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


awaited  developments.  After  he  had  been  on  the  watch 
for  a few  minutes,  his  patience  was  rewarded  by  seeing 
the  King  come  out,  put  a key  in  the  door,  and  go  back 
again.  No  sooner  had  he  disappeared,  than  Lauzun 
emerged  from  his  hiding-place,  double-locked  the  door, 
put  the  key  in  his  pocket,  and  retreated  to  the  shelter  of 
his  friendly  cupboard.  In  due  course,  Bontemps  and  the 
lady  arrived,  and  the  former  was  much  puzzled  on  finding 
that  the  key  was  not  in  the  door  according  to  arrange- 
ment. He  began  to  look  about,  to  see  if  by  any  chance 
it  had  been  placed  elsewhere,  but,  failing  to  discover  it, 
knocked,  at  first  very  gently,  then  louder,  and  presently 
the  King  came  to  the  door.  Bontemps  asked  him  to  let 
them  in,  as  the  key  was  not  in  the  lock.  Louis  replied 
that  he  had  himself  put  it  there  only  a few  minutes  before, 
and  essayed  to  open  the  door,  which,  however,  resisted 
his  efforts.  His  Majesty  was  furious  and  was  for  breaking 
it  open,  but  desisted  on  reflecting  that  the  noise  would 
inevitably  bring  other  people  to  the  spot  and  thus  com- 
promise the  princess.  Eventually,  he  and  Madame  de 
Monaco  “ had  to  say  good-night  to  one  another  from 
opposite  sides  of  the  door,”  to  their  intense  mortification 
and  the  huge  delight  of  Lauzun,  who  had,  of  course,  been 
an  unseen  witness  of  the  whole  of  the  little  comedy.1 

Another  of  Lauzun’s  exploits,  of  which  Madame  de 
Montespan  herself  was  the  victim,  was  characterised  by 
even  greater  audacity,  but  was,  unfortunately  for  him, 
destined  to  be  followed  by  very  serious  consequences. 

Not  long  after  the  marchioness  became  Louis  XIV. ’s 
mistress,  Lauzun  had  begged  her  to  use  her  influence  with 
the  King  to  obtain  for  him  the  post  of  Grand  Master  of 
the  Artillery — an  appointment  which  the  monarch  had 

1 Mimoires  de  Saint-Simon  (edit.  1 8 8 1 ),  xix.  175. 

130 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


already  promised  him,  but  which  he  had  not  yet  confirmed, 
as  Lauzun  had  foolishly  broken  the  pledge  of  secrecy 
under  which  it  had  been  given — and  this  the  lady  had 
promised  to  do.  Being  somewhat  doubtful  of  her 
sincerity,  however,  he  persuaded  one  of  her  femmes-de- 
chambre , who  was  in  love  with  him,  to  conceal  him  in  the 
favourite’s  apartments,  in  a place  where  he  could  overhear 
every  word  that  passed  between  Madame  de  Montespan 
and  the  King.  “ A cough,  the  slightest  movement,”  says 
Saint-Simon,  “ would  have  been  sufficient  to  betray  this 
rash  person,  and  then  what  would  have  happened  ? ” But 
his  lucky  star  was  in  the  ascendant,  and  he  was  enabled  to 
learn  all  he  wanted  to  know,  and  subsequently  to  effect 
his  escape  undetected,  having  had  a very  practical  demon- 
stration of  the  truth  of  the  old  proverb  which  warns  us 
that  listeners  never  hear  any  good  of  themselves. 

Enraged  beyond  measure  at  the  duplicity  of  the  woman 
whom  he  had  imagined  to  be  his  friend,  Lauzun  took  the 
first  opportunity  of  inquiring  of  her,  “ with  an  engaging 
smile  and  a profound  reverence,”  if  he  might  flatter  him- 
self that  she  had  condescended  to  remember  her  promise 
to  plead  his  cause  with  the  King.  The  favourite  assured 
him  that  she  had  kept  her  word,  and  actually  had  the 
effrontery  to  tell  him  the  arguments  she  had  advanced 
to  insure  success.  Thereupon,  Lauzun  entirely  lost  his 
temper  and,  seizing  her  by  the  wrist,  repeated  to  her 
word  for  word  the  conversation  she  had  had  with  the 
monarch,  and  wound  up  by  overwhelming  her  with  taunts 
and  reproaches. 

Madame  de  Montespan  was  so  overcome  with  astonish- 
ment and  dismay  that  she  was  unable  to  utter  a single 
word  in  reply,  and  had  no  sooner  reached  the  Queen’s 
apartments,  whither  she  was  bound  when  met  by  Lauzun, 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


and  where  Louis  XIV.  was  awaiting  her,  than  she  fainted 
away,  to  the  great  consternation  of  his  Majesty.  When 
she  came  to  herself,  she  related  to  her  royal  lover  all  that 
had  passed,  and  expressed  her  firm  conviction  that  Lauzun 
must  be  in  league  with  the  Evil  One,  since  in  no  other 
way  could  he  possibly  have  obtained  such  an  accurate 
account  of  the  conversation  they  had  had  about  him.  The 
haughty  favourite  never  forgave  Lauzun  for  his  insulting 
conduct  towards  her  on  this  occasion,1  and  the  events 
which  we  are  about  to  relate  provided  her  with  an  oppor- 
tunity of  gratifying  her  malice  to  the  full. 

Mademoiselle  appears  to  have  cast  a favourable  eye 

1 Lauzun’s  imprisonment  in  the  Bastille,  to  which  he  was  sent  a few 
days  later,  was  as  a punishment  for  his  insolence  to  the  King,  and  not 
to  Madame  de  Montespan,  as  some  writers  state.  Saint-Simon  says  : 
“ When  Puyguilhem  (the  title  which  he  then  bore)  found  that  he  was 
not  to  have  the  Artillery,  the  relations  between  him  and  the  King 
became  very  strained.  This  could  only  last  a few  days.  Puyguilhem, 
having  the  grande  entrie  (the  right  of  entering  the  King’s  private 
apartments  at  the  same  hours  as  the  First  Gentlemen  of  the  Bedchamber 
and  the  high  Court  officials),  watched  for  a tete-a-tete  with  the  King, 
and  summoned  him  audaciously  to  keep  his  promise.  The  King  replied 
that  he  no  longer  felt  called  upon  to  do  so,  since  he  had  only  given  him 
the  promise  under  the  pledge  of  secrecy,  and  that  pledge  he  had  failed 
to  keep.  Thereupon  Puyguilhem  walked  away  a few  steps,  turned  his 
back  on  the  King,  drew  his  sword,  broke  the  blade  with  his  foot,  and 
shouted  furiously  that  he  would  never  again  serve  a prince  who  had  so 
shamefully  broken  his  word.  The  King,  in  a transport  of  rage,  did 
perhaps  at  this  moment  the  finest  action  of  his  life.  He  turned 
instantly,  opened  the  window,  and  flung  out  his  cane,  remarking  that 
he  should  be  sorry  to  strike  a man  of  quality,  and  left  the  room.  The 
next  day  Puyguilhem,  who  had  not  dared  to  show  himself  in  the 
meantime,  was  arrested  and  taken  to  the  Bastille.” — Memolres  du  Due  de 
Saint-Simon  (edit.  1 8 8 1 ),  xix.  173. 

Lauzun’s  imprisonment  was  a very  brief  one,  and,  through  the  inter- 
cession of  his  friend,  the  Marquis  de  Guitry,  he  was  not  only  restored 
to  favour,  but  made  captain  of  the  King’s  bodyguard, 

132 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


upon  Lauzun  as  early  as  the  year  1660,  when,  in  referring 
to  Madame  de  Monaco’s  (then  Mademoiselle  de  Gramont) 
tendresse  for  the  Count,  she  writes  that  “ other  people  had 
the  same  taste — perhaps  too  many  for  the  welfare  of  the 
personage  in  question  ” ; but  it  was  not  until  some  years 
later  that  she  became  “ convinced  that  he  was  the  only 
man  capable  of  sustaining  the  dignity  of  the  position 
which  her  rank  and  fortune  could  confer — the  only  person, 
in  short,  worthy  of  her  choice.” 

The  details  of  the  courtship,  as  related  by  Mademoiselle 
in  her  entertaining  Memoir es , are  intensely  amusing. 
Lauzun,  though  of  course  overjoyed  at  his  extraordinary 
good  fortune,  was  far  too  shrewd  to  allow  the  princess  to 
suspect  his  real  feelings.  At  first,  he  affected  to  believe 
that  her  interest  in  him  was  such  as  a sovereign  might 
take  in  a subject,  and  invariably  treated  her  “ with  a 
respect  so  submissive  that  he  would  never  even  approach 
her  unless  she  had  taken  the  precaution  to  make  the  first 
advances.”  This  was  very  gratifying  to  Mademoiselle' s 
vanity,  for,  though  a virtuous  and  kind-hearted  woman, 
she  had  an  overweaning  idea  of  her  own  importance,  and 
her  predilection  for  the  count’s  society  began  to  excite 
remark.  Then,  when  it  was  no  longer  possible  for  him  to 
pretend  to  misunderstand  her,  Lauzun  assumed  the  airs  of 
the  pensive,  melancholy  bachelor,  who  was  as  yet  a com- 
plete stranger  to  the  tender  passion,  and  played  the  part 
so  adroitly  that  the  lady  became  more  infatuated  than  ever. 
She  tells  us  how,  on  one  occasion,  she  rose  at  daybreak, 
in  order  to  watch  her  gallant  ride  past  her  windows  at 
the  head  of  his  regiment  ; how,  on  another,  at  a review, 
when  Lauzun,  hat  in  hand,  was  addressing  the  King,  she 
implored  his  Majesty  to  request  the  count  to  cover  him- 
self, as,  the  weather  being  damp,  she  was  fearful  lest  he 

i33 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


should  take  cold  ; and  how,  on  a third,  she  held  him  in 
conversation  for  the  space  of  five  hours. 

At  length,  she  confided  in  him  that  she  was  desirous  of 
bestowing  her  hand  upon  one  whom  she  fondly  loved,  and 
whom  she  had  every  reason  to  believe  reciprocated  her 
passion,  but  whose  “ elevation  of  soul  ” was  his  only 
qualification  for  so  great  an  honour.  Would  he  advise 
her  to  brave  the  disapproval  of  the  world  and  follow  the 
dictates  of  her  heart,  or  wed  where  she  could  not  give  her 
affection  ? Modesty,  she  added,  forbade  her  to  tell  him 
the  name  of  her  beloved,  but  she  would  write  it  upon  a 
sheet  of  paper,  leaving  a blank  space  at  the  bottom  for  his 
reply,  and  enclose  it  in  an  envelope,  which  she  would  hand 
him  in  the  course  of  the  evening.  When  Lauzun  opened 
the  letter,  the  words  “ C'est  vous  ” met  his  eye. 

Of  course  the  cunning  adventurer  protested  that  he 
was  overwhelmed  by  the  honour  which  the  princess  pro- 
posed to  do  him,  painted  in  glowing  terms  his  own  un- 
worthiness, hinted  at  the  possible  displeasure  of  the  King, 
whose  regard,  he  assured  her,  no  consideration  on  earth 
could  induce  him  to  forfeit,  the  opposition  of  the  Royal 
Family,  and  so  forth  ; all  of  which  objections,  as  he  fore- 
saw, only  served  to  confirm  Mademoiselle  in  her  resolu- 
tion, for  she  was  one  of  the  most  obstinate  women  who 
ever  breathed,  and  eventually  he  consented  to  become  her 
husband.  If  he  had  behaved  with  becoming  diffidence 
during  the  courtship,  he  showed  himself  wonderfully  wide- 
awake to  his  own  interests  as  soon  as  the  matter  was 
settled,  and  not  only  persuaded  the  infatuated  princess  to 
promise  to  obtain  for  him  the  title  of  Due  de  Montpensier, 
but  to  make  a donation  in  his  favour  of  the  bulk  of  her 
immense  estates,  including  the  principality  of  Dombes  and 
the  county  of  Eu. 


1 34 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


But  before  the  marriage  could  take  place,  the  King’s 
sanction  was  required.  Mademoiselle  had  not  the  hardi- 
hood to  seek  a personal  interview  with  her  cousin,  but 
wrote  him  instead  a long  letter,  requesting  permission  to 
wed  her  Lauzun.  His  Majesty  returned  a very  gracious, 
if  somewhat  evasive,  answer,  assuring  her  of  his  affection 
and  of  his  unwillingness  to  stand  in  the  way  of  her  happi- 
ness, but  begging  her  to  think  well  over  the  matter,  and 
to  do  nothing  in  haste.  A few  days  later,  Mademoiselle , 
encouraged  apparently  by  the  “ gracious  air  ” with  which 
the  King  had  regarded  her  and  her  lover  when  he  hap- 
pened to  observe  them  conversing  at  the  Tuileries,  laid 
wait  for  Louis  as  he  was  retiring  to  rest,  and  urged  her 
demand  with  so  much  warmth  and  eloquence  that  the 
King  gave  his  consent,  advising  her  at  the  same  time  “ to 
keep  her  project  a secret  till  the  moment  of  its  execution.” 

Now  if  Mademoiselle  and  Lauzun  had  been  sensible 
enough  to  follow  this  advice,  all  would  have  been  well ; for 
had  the  marriage  once  taken  place,  nothing  short  of  a 
Papal  decree  could  have  set  it  aside.  But  alas  ! “ the 
princess  being  intoxicated  with  love,  and  the  count  with 
vanity,”1  they  not  only  decided  to  proclaim  their  approach- 
ing union  to  the  world,  but  to  defer  its  consummation  until 
arrangements  could  be  made  to  celebrate  it  with  becoming 
pomp  and  magnificence. 

This  publicity  and  delay  ruined  everything.  The 
announcement  that  '■'■Mademoiselle — la  Grande  Mademoi- 
selle — Mademoiselle , daughter  of  the  late  Monsieur — 
Mademoiselle , grand-daughter  of  Henri  IV. — Mademoi- 
selle d’Eu — Mademoiselle  de  Dombes — Mademoiselle  de 
Montpensier — Mademoiselle , cousin-german  to  the  King 
— Mademoiselle , the  only  match  thought  worthy  of 
' Memoires  du  Marquis  de  La  Fare , p.  96. 

•35 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Monsieur ,”  1 was  about  to  bestow  her  hand  upon  a simple 
gentleman,  caused  the  most  unbounded  astonishment  at 
Court,  where,  as  Sismondi  observes,  the  conquest  of  a 
province  or  the  downfall  of  a monarchy  would  have 
caused  less  sensation.  The  Royal  Family  were  furiously 
indignant  at  the  idea  of  such  a misalliance.  Monsieur , 

whose  hand  Mademoiselle  had  recently  rejected,  remon- 
strated with  the  King  in  the  strongest  terms,  and  declared 
that  to  allow  such  a marriage  to  take  place  in  the  Louvre, 
a privilege  which  the  lovers  had  requested,  would  be  to 
dishonour  the  memory  of  Henri  IV.  The  Prince  de 
Cond6  announced  his  intention  of  attending  the  ceremony 
— in  order  to  blow  out  the  bridegroom’s  brains  as  he  left 
the  church.  Even  the  Queen,  who  seldom  interfered  in 
matters  which  did  not  immediately  concern  herself,  added 
her  voice  to  the  general  clamour  of  disapproval,  and, 
according  to  Mademoiselle , spent  the  whole  of  one  night 
dissolved  in  tears.  Louvois,  too,  Lauzun’s  most  bitter 
enemy,  was  active  in  the  same  direction,  and,  in  company 
with  several  Ministers  and  noblemen,  waited  upon  the 
King,  and  represented  to  him  that  the  proposed  marriage 
could  not  fail  to  be  most  injurious  to  his  reputation,  not 
only  in  France  but  in  foreign  countries  as  well,  since 
every  one  would  believe  that  he  did  not  hesitate  to  sacri- 
fice his  nearest  relatives  to  make  the  fortunes  of  his 
favourites.  Finally,  Madame  de  Montespan, eager  to  avenge 
the  affront  of  which  mention  has  already  been  made,  and 
persuaded,  it  is  said,  by  Madame  de  Maintenon,  whose 
interests  at  this  time  marched  with  her  employer’s,  that,  sup- 
ported by  the  immense  wealth  of  Mademoiselle , Lauzun’s 
influence  might  clash  with  her  own,  threw  her  weight  into 
the  opposition  scale,  and  thus  disposed  of  any  lingering 

1 Madame  de  Sevigne  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  Dec.  15,  1670. 

136 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


scruples  that  Louis  might  have  entertained  about  retracting 
the  promise  he  had  given  to  his  cousin. 

The  result  was  that  on  December  18,  1670,  two  days 
before  the  date  fixed  for  the  ceremony,  a messenger  was 
despatched  to  the  Luxembourg — where  he  found  the  bride- 
elect  superintending  the  preparation  of  her  future  hus- 
band’s apartments — with  a request  that  she  would  repair 
at  once  to  the  Tuileries.  When  she  arrived,  the  King 
informed  her  that  he  was  inconsolable  at  what  he  felt 
compelled  to  announce  to  her,  but  that  public  opinion  was 
accusing  him  of  sacrificing  his  cousin  to  the  interests  of 
his  favourite  ; that  such  a report  would  injure  his  reputa- 
tion at  Foreign  Courts,  and  that,  therefore,  he  could  not 
allow  the  affair  to  proceed. 

Poor  Mademoiselle , bathed  in  tears,  threw  herself  at 
the  King’s  feet,  declared  that,  if  he  persisted  in  depriving 
her  of  her  Lauzun,  she  asked  nothing  better  than  to  be 
allowed  to  die  there  upon  the  spot,  and  used  every 
argument  she  could  think  of  to  induce  him  to  relent. 
But,  though  his  Majesty  was  so  touched  by  her  grief  that 
he,  too,  went  down  upon  his  knees,  and  remained  in  that 
position  for  three-quarters  of  an  hour,  mingling  his  tears 
with  hers,  he  was  obdurate. 

When  the  unhappy  lady  at  length  realised  that  nothing 
would  shake  the  King’s  resolution,  and  that  her  lover  was 
indeed  lost  to  her,  her  agony  of  mind  was  pitiable  to 
behold,  and  found  vent  in  “tears,  cries,  lamentations,  and 
the  most  violent  expressions  of  grief.”1  Her  distress, 

1 Letter  of  Madame  de  Sevigne  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  December  20, 
1670.  The  Abbe  de  Choisy  relates  that  he  was  at  the  Luxembourg 
when  Mademoiselle  returned  from  her  interview  with  the  King,  and 
that  she  came  in  “looking  like  a Fury,  with  dishevelled  hair,  and 
menacing  heaven  and  earth  with  her  fists.”  On  the  way  thither,  she 
had,  in  her  rage,  broken  the  windows  of  her  coach. 

137 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


however,  if  we  are  to  believe  the  testimony  of  that  rather 
malicious  chronicler,  Madame  de  Caylus,  would  appear 
not  to  have  been  without  its  humorous  side.  “ She  took 
to  her  bed,”  says  the  writer  in  question,  “ and  received 
visitors  like  a disconsolate  widow,  and  I have  heard 
Madame  de  Maintenon  relate  that  she  kept  crying  out  in 
her  despair,  ‘ He  should  be  there  ! He  should  be  there  ! ’ 
that  is  to  say,  ‘ he  should  be  in  my  bed,’  for  she  pointed  to 
the  vacant  place.”  1 

But,  alas  for  Mademoiselle , a worse  trial  was  in  store 
for  her ! In  the  following  November,  Lauzun  was  sud- 
denly arrested  and  conveyed  to  the  Bastille,  and  thence 
to  Pignerol,  where  he  was  kept  a close  prisoner  for  ten 
years,  without  any  reason  whatever  being  assigned  for  his 
detention. 

This  affair  caused  all  the  more  astonishment  at  Court 
as,  since  the  rupture  of  his  marriage,  Louis  XIV.,  as  if 
anxious  to  compensate  the  count  for  his  disappointment, 
had  loaded  him  with  favours.  Voltaire  ascribes  the  arrest 
to  the  fact  that  the  King  had  discovered  that  a secret 
marriage  had  taken  place  between  him  and  Mademoiselle ; 
but  this  cannot  have  been  the  cause,  for  even  if  there  was 
such  a marriage,  of  which  no  satisfactory  proof  exists, 
it  could  not  have  been  celebrated  until  after  Lauzun’s 
release,  as  when  that  event  took  place,  Mademoiselle  was 
urging  the  King  to  withdraw  his  prohibition.  The  reason 
given  by  Saint-Simon  and  La  Fare  appears  far  more 
probable. 

Both  of  these  writers  attribute  it  to  a rapprochement 
between  Louvois  and  Madame  de  Montespan,  the  former 
of  whom  had  long  been  bitterly  jealous  of  Lauzun  on 
account  of  his  favour  with  his  sovereign  and  his  popularity 

1 Souvenirs  et  Correspondance  de  Madame  de  Caylus  (edit.  1889),  p.  79. 

.38 


■UJJ-iT  ;IJ  J3H01M  aiO'3XA>l'W 

, 'X.  ■ MJ<  <J.  30  XOXaJVa) 


FRANCOIS  MICHEL  LE  TELLIER 

(Marquis  df.  Louvois) 

From  an  Engraving  after  the  Painting  by  Claude  Lefebvre 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


with  the  army  ; while  the  latter  had  far  from  satisfied  the 
grudge  she  bore  the  count  by  the  share  she  had  taken  in 
preventing  his  marriage,  and  had  lately  become  still  further 
incensed  against  him  owing  to  some  very  indiscreet  language 
he  had  used  about  her  in  the  presence  of  her  royal  lover. 
“ Together,”  says  Saint-Simon,  “ they  managed  to  arouse 
the  King  to  a remembrance  of  the  broken  sword  and  the 
insolence  of  having  so  soon  afterwards,  and  while  still  in 
the  Bastille,  refused  for  several  days  the  post  of  captain  of 
the  bodyguard  ; they  made  him  consider  Lauzun  as  a man 
who  was  beside  himself,  and  had  inveigled  Mademoiselle 
till  he  was  almost  on  the  point  of  marrying  her  and 
securing  her  immense  fortune ; in  short,  as  a very  dan- 
gerous person,  on  account  of  his  audacity,  and  one  who  had 
taken  into  his  head  to  gain  the  devotion  of  the  troops  by 
his  magnificence,  by  his  services  to  the  officers,1  and  by 
the  manner  in  which  he  lived  with  them  while  in  Flanders, 
which  caused  them  to  adore  him.  They  made  it  a crime  on 
his  part  to  remain  on  terms  of  friendly  intimacy  with  the 
Comtesse  de  Soissons,  who  had  been  driven  from  Court 
and  suspected  of  criminal  offences.  They  probably  laid 
other  things  to  his  charge  of  which  I never  heard,2  judging 
from  the  barbarous  treatment  that  they  finally  succeeded  in 
meting  out  to  him.”  3 

Saint-Mars,  the  governor  of  Pignerol,  a creature  of 
Louvois,4  caused  to  be  prepared  for  the  unfortunate  count’s 
reception  a gloomy  dungeon,  above  the  door  of  which  the 

1 Mademoiselle  tells  us  that  Lauzun  was  in  the  habit  of  distributing 
money  among  the  poorer  officers,  saying  that  it  came  from  the  King. 

2 La  Fare  says  that  Madame  de  Montespan  assured  the  King  that 
she  went  in  fear  of  her  life  so  long  as  Lauzun  was  at  liberty. 

3 Memoires  du  Due  de  Saint-Simon  (edit.  1881),  xix.  177. 

4 This  Saint-Mars  was  afterwards  made  governor  of  the  Bastille, 
and  held  that  office  from  1698  to  1708. 

139 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

prisoner  is  said  to  have  traced  the  well-known  verse  from 
Dante  : — 

“ Lasciate  ogni  speranza  voi  ch’intrate.” 


Here,  without  books  or  writing  materials,  or  indeed  any 
means  of  alleviating  the  monotony  of  his  life,  Lauzun  had 
ample  leisure  for  reflecting  upon  his  past  indiscretions.  In 
response  to  his  complaints,  Louvois  wrote  that  he  had 
given  orders  that  he  was  to  be  treated  “ with  all  the  respect 
due  to  his  birth  and  rank.”  But,  notwithstanding  this 
assurance,  the  rigour  of  his  imprisonment  does  not  appear 
to  have  been  mitigated  ; and  when,  on  one  occasion,  per- 
mission was  granted  to  his  brother  and  sister  to  visit  him 
for  the  purpose  of  discussing  some  urgent  family  affairs, 
we  find  the  War  Minister  sending  instructions  to  the 
governor  that  they  were  not  to  be  allowed  to  give  him 
any  writing-paper,  to  converse  with  him  in  a low  tone,  or 
to  speak  of  any  matters  unconnected  with  the  business  in 
hand — “ and,  above  all,  not  of  Mademoiselle  de  Mont- 
pensier  ” — on  any  pretence  whatever.1 

As  may  readily  be  imagined,  Mademoiselle  was  incon- 
solable for  the  long  and  harsh  imprisonment  of  her  lover, 
and  made  every  possible  effort  to  deliver  him.  She  used 
to  go  very  frequently  to  see  Madame  de  Montespan — of 
whose  responsibility  for  Lauzun’s  misfortunes  she  does 
not,  strange  to  say,  seem  to  have  entertained  any  suspicion 
— and  pour  her  woes  into  her  ear,  declaring  that  there  was 
no  sacrifice  she  was  not  prepared  to  make  in  order  to 
procure  his  release  ; and,  eventually,  the  favourite  decided 
to  endeavour  to  turn  the  poor  lady’s  devotion  to  the 

1 Delort’s  Histoire  de  la  detention  des  philosophes  et  des  gens  de  lettres , 
precedee  de  celle  de  Fouquet,  de  Pellisson,  et  de  Lauzun,  i.  passim.  Clement’s 
Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIV.,  p.  35  et  seq. 

140 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


profit  of  her  eldest  son,  the  Due  du  Maine.  Accordingly, 
she  affected  great  sympathy  and  would  often  observe, 
“ Think  of  everything  you  can  do  to  please  the  King, 
that  he  may  grant  you  what  you  have  so  much  at  heart.” 
Mademoiselle  repeated  this  to  some  of  Lauzun’s  friends, 
who  were  of  opinion  that  the  best  way  to  please  the  King 
or  Madame  de  Montespan— which  was,  of  course,  much 
the  same  thing— was  to  lead  them  to  suppose  that  she 
would  be  willing  to  settle  some  of  her  wealth  on  the  Due 
du  Maine. 

After  some  further  discussion,  one  of  the  party,  named 
Baraille,  was  deputed  to  go  to  Madame  de  Montespan  with 
a proposal  to  that  effect  from  Mademoiselle , and  met  with 
a very  encouraging  reception.  The  next  day,  the  princess 
herself  visited  the  marchioness,  who  thanked  her  warmly, 
and  assured  her  that  her  interests  were  dearer  to  her  than 
her  own,  but  advised  her  not  to  say  anything  about  Lauzun 
to  the  King,  “ until  they  had  adopted  those  measures 
which  might  lead  to  the  accomplishment  of  her  wishes.” 
“ I must,”  she  added,  “ explain  to  the  King  the  views  you 
entertain  for  M.  du  Maine,  and  your  desire  to  please  his 
Majesty.  Thus  you  will  be  united  more  closely  to  him 
without  saying  a word  about  M.  de  Lauzun.  He  may 
perhaps  be  as  desirous  of  setting  him  free  as  you  yourself 
are,  but  you  know  how  many  people  dislike  and  fear  him. 
They  are  always  on  the  alert  to  speak  ill  of  him  the 
moment  they  perceive  that  the  King  displays  the  slightest 
compassion  for  him.  But,  as  soon  as  he  can  say,  ‘ My 
cousin  has  proposed  these  measures  ; I can  refuse  her 
nothing,’  you  will  be  able  to  arrange  matters  with  him, 
and  no  one  will  know  that  M.  de  Lauzun  is  at  liberty 
until  the  order  for  his  release  is  sent.” 

The  princess  willingly  agreed  that  Madame  de  Montespan 

141 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


should  inform  the  King  of  her  intentions  with  regard  to 
the  little  duke,  which  she,  accordingly,  did  the  follow- 
ing evening  at  the  Queen’s ; whereupon  his  Majesty, 
who  seemed  highly  pleased,  as  well  he  might  be,  took 
Mademoiselle  aside,  expressed  his  conviction  that  her 
affection  for  him  could  alone  have  dictated  the  generous 
offer  of  which  the  marchioness  had  just  informed  him, 
said  a great  many  other  amiable  things,  and  concluded  by 
assuring  her  that  he  should  neglect  no  opportunity  of 
showing  her  marks  of  his  friendship. 

Madame  de  Montespan  was,  of  course,  delighted  at  the 
step  which  Mademoiselle  had  taken,  and  determined  to 
lose  no  time  in  inducing  her  to  take  a still  more  decided 
one.  She,  therefore,  proposed  that  the  princess  should 
make  a deed  of  gift  of  the  principality  of  Dombes,  the 
county  of  Eu,  and  the  duchy  of  Aumale  in  favour  of  her 
son.  The  cool  insolence  of  such  a proposition  will  be 
understood  when  we  mention  that  the  revenues  of  Dombes 
and  Eu  alone  were  estimated  at  upwards  of  200,000  livres  ; 
that  Mademoiselle  had  settled  all  three  properties  on 
Lauzun,  together  with  the  duchy  of  Saint-Fargeau  and  the 
beautiful  estate  of  Thiers  in  Auvergne,  at  the  time  of  their 
proposed  marriage,  and  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  get 
him  to  renounce  them  before  she  would  be  able  to  dispose 
of  them  in  favour  of  the  Due  du  Maine.  The  princess 
felt  that  she  could  not  bring  herself  to  comply  with  such  a 
demand,  and,  therefore,  replied  that  Madame  de  Montespan 
had  misunderstood  her  ; that  she  had  never  had  the  least 
intention  of  making  a conveyance  of  any  of  her  estates 
to  the  little  duke,  but  only  of  appointing  him  her  heir. 
To  which  the  favourite  curtly  rejoined  that  it  was  the  King’s 
pleasure  that  the  matter  should  be  arranged  in  the  manner 
which  she  (Madame  de  Montespan)  had  indicated, 

142 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


After  a good  deal  of  haggling,  Mademoiselle  was 
informed  that,  unless  she  could  see  her  way  to  do  what 
was  required  of  her,  the  consequences  might  be  exceed- 
ingly unpleasant,  and  the  Bastille  was  hinted  at.  Alarmed 
by  these  threats,  and  convinced  that  the  King  would  never 
consent  to  her  lover’s  release  on  any  other  terms,  she 
finally  yielded. 

For  the  validity  of  the  affair,  as  we  have  already  said, 
Lauzun’s  renunciation  of  the  gifts  of  Mademoiselle  was 
necessary;  and,  accordingly,  in  the  spring  of  1681,  it  was 
given  out  that  his  health  had  broken  down,  and  that  his 
physicians  had  prescribed  for  him  a course  of  the  waters 
of  Bourbon.  Thither  he  was  conducted  under  a strong 
escort,  and  was  met  by  Madame  de  Montespan,  who  had 
made  the  journey  under  a similar  pretext.  The  mar- 
chioness offered  him  his  liberty  in  return  for  his  signature 
to  a contract  of  renunciation  ; but  Lauzun  indignantly 
refused,  and  was  once  more  incarcerated,  this  time  in  the 
Chateau  of  Chalon-sur-Saone. 

In  September  of  the  same  year,  Madame  de  Montespan 
again  visited  Bourbon,  where  she  lost  her  little  daughter, 
Mademoiselle  de  Tours.  The  favourite  and  Lauzun  had 
a second  interview  ; and  this  time  the  unfortunate  count, 
whose  sojourn  in  his  new  prison  had  doubtless  been  made 
as  unpleasant  as  possible,  with  the  view  of  bringing  him 
to  reason,  expressed  his  willingness  to  do  as  she  desired. 

Mademoiselle  appears  to  have  been  given  to  understand 
that,  in  return  for  the  sacrifice  she  was  making,  Lauzun 
would  be  permitted  to  return  to  Court,  and  that  the  King 
would,  in  all  probability,  waive  his  objection  to  their 
marriage.  But  once  they  had  obtained  what  they  wanted, 
Madame  de  Montespan  and  Louis  troubled  themselves 
very  little  about  their  part  of  the  bargain,  and  the  latter 

*43 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


not  only  refused  to  hear  of  a marriage,  but  directed  that 
Lauzun  was  to  be  given  the  choice  of  residing  in  one  of 
four  towns — Nevers,  Amboise,  Tours,  and  Bourges — and 
to  remain  within  its  walls  during  his  Majesty’s  pleasure. 
It  was  not  until  two  years  later  that  Mademoiselle 
succeeded  in  obtaining  permission  for  him  to  return  to 
Paris,  on  condition  that  he  would  pass  his  word  not  to 
approach  the  Court.  He  was  eventually,  however,  restored 
to  favour,  in  recognition  of  her  services  to  the  English 
Royal  Family  at  the  Revolution  of  1688,  and  made  duke 
and  pair  de  France.  La  Bruyere  said  of  Lauzun  that  no 
man  ever  dreamed  as  he  lived,  so  extraordinary  was  his 
career. 


144 


CHAPTER  XI 


Louise  de  La  Valli^re  takes  the  veil — Bossuet’s  sermon — A 
moving  scene — Madame  de  Montespan  very  punctilious  in 
the  discharge  of  her  religious  duties — Her  answer  to  the 
Duchesse  d’Uzis — A priest  of  Versailles  refuses  her  abso- 
lution— His  action  upheld  by  his  curd — And  by  Bossuet — 

Louis  XIV.’s  regard  for  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  Church 
— Effect  upon  him  of  Bourdaloue’s  outspoken  sermons — 
Bossuet  implores  the  King  to  break  off  his  connection  with 
Madame  de  Montespan  — Louis  consents,  and  orders  the 
favourite  to  retire  to  Paris — Bossuet  visits  her  there — Stormy 
interview  between  him  and  the  lady — Madame  de  Montespan 
eventually  yields  to  the  bishop’s  exhortations — Louis  XIV.’s 
agony  of  mind — Bossuet  endeavours  to  confirm  him  in  his 
virtuous  resolutions — The  King’s  advice  to  the  Dauphin — 

Louis  XIV.  and  Madame  de  Montespan  are  permitted  to  com- 
municate— The  marchioness  authorised  to  reside  at  Clagny 
— Interviews  between  her  and  the  King — Louis  XIV.  leaves 
Versailles  to  join  the  army  in  Flanders — Bourdaloue’s  remark 
to  the  King — Madame  de  Scudery  and  Bussy-Rabutin  on  the 
situation  — Anxiety  of  Bossuet  — His  remarkable  letter  to 
Louis  XIV. — The  King  communicates  on  Whit-Sunday — 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  “ exemplary  life  ” — Consideration 
shown  her  by  the  Queen — Louis  XIV.’s  letters  to  Colbert — 
Clandestine  correspondence  between  the  King  and  Madame  de 
Montespan — Refusal  of  Bossuet  to  consent  to  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  return — Pere  de  La  Chaise  and  the  Archbishop 
of  Paris  prove  more  accommodating — Bossuet  and  Louis  XIV. 
at  Luzarches — “ Say  nothing  to  me,  Monsieur  ; say  nothing 
to  me  ! ” — Triumph  of  Madame  de  Montespan. 

On  June  4,  1675,  a crowd  of  distinguished  people  invaded 
the  little  church  of  the  Carmelites  of  the  Rue  Saint- 


H5 


K 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Jacques.  Among  them  might  have  been  seen  the  Queen  ; 
Monsieur , the  King’s  brother  ; his  second  wife,  the  out- 
spoken Princess  Palatine  ; the  future  Queen  of  Spain,  his 
daughter  by  the  ill-fated  Henrietta  of  England,  destined 
like  her  mother  to  a sudden  and  mysterious  end  ; the 
beautiful  Duchesse  de  Longueville,  herself  a penitent  these 
twenty  years  past  ; Mademoiselle  de  Montpensier,  and 
Madame  de  Scudery.  They  had  come,  drawn  thither 
either  by  sympathy  or  curiosity,  to  witness  the  final  act  in 
the  long  tragedy  of  Louise  de  La  Valliere — the  taking  of 
the  veil.  The  ex-favourite’s  novitiate  had  expired  two 
days  before,  and  the  following  evening  she  had  pronounced 
her  vows  in  the  chapter-house  of  the  convent,  taking  the 
name  of  Soeur  Louise  de  la  Misericorde. 

The  ceremony  began ; mass  was  said  by  the  chaplain  of 
the  Carmelites,  the  Abbe  Pirot ; and  then  Bossuet  entered 
the  pulpit  and  preached  an  eloquent  and  moving  sermon 
from  the  text,  “ Et  dixit  qui  sedebat  in  throno  : ‘ Ecce  nova 
facio  omnia  ’ ” (“  And  He  who  sat  upon  the  throne  said  : 

‘ Behold,  I make  all  things  new’  ”).1 

“ Madame,”  he  began,  addressing  the  Queen,  “ it  will 
be  without  doubt  a grand  spectacle  when  He  who  sitteth 
upon  the  throne  whence  the  universe  is  ruled — He  who 
can  do  as  readily  as  He  saith,  inasmuch  as  by  the  Word  of 
H is  Mouth  He  can  do  all  things — when  He  shall  from 
the  height  of  His  throne,  at  the  end  of  the  world,  make 
known  that  He  reneweth  everything,  and  when,  at  the 
same  time,  we  behold  all  nature  changed  into  a new  world 
for  God’s  elect.  But  when,  in  order  to  prepare  us  for 
these  marvellous  changes  to  come,  He  works  secretly  in 
the  hearts  of  men  by  His  Holy  Spirit,  changing,  re- 
newing, moving  them  to  their  very  depths,  filling  them 

1 Apocalypse,  ch.  xxi.,  v.  5. 

146 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


with  aspirations  hitherto  unknown,  such  a change  is  no 
less  wonderful,  no  less  astonishing.  And  truly,  Christians, 
there  can  be  nothing  more  marvellous  than  these  changes 
we  behold.  What  have  we  seen,  and  what  do  we  see  ? 
What  formerly,  and  what  now  ? There  is  no  need  for  me 
to  dwell  upon  them  ; the  things  speak  for  themselves. 

“ . . . Come  then  and  marvel  with  me  at  these  great 
changes  worked  by  the  Hand  of  God.  Nothing  of  the  old 
form  remains  ; all  is  changed  without ; and  within  the 
change  is  greater  still ; while  I,  to  celebrate  these  pious 
novelties,  I break  a silence  of  so  many  years,  and  a voice 
long  a stranger  to  the  pulpit  is  heard  once  more.” 

Then  he  showed  the  errors  of  a soul  forgetful  of 
its  Creator,  wholly  absorbed  in  itself.  He  showed  it 
enamoured  of  things  as  perishable  as  “ the  flower  that  the 
sun  withers,  the  vapour  that  the  wind  carries  away  ” ; a 
slave  to  the  senses,  greedy  of  riches,  fallen  insensibly  into 
the  snares  of  avarice,  or,  perhaps,  like  Alexander  the 
Great,  devoured  by  ambition,  thirsting  for  fame,  desirous 
of  making  a noise  in  the  world  in  life  and  after  death. 
Then,  having  exposed  the  utter  hollowness  of  the  things 
to  which  the  world  attaches  so  much  importance,  and  the 
folly  of  those  who  love  the  praise  of  men  rather  than  the 
glory  of  God,  he  drew  the  picture  of  a soul  acknow- 
ledging its  fault,  abandoning  little  by  little  all  that  it 
had  held  most  dear,  and  surrendering  itself  wholly  to 
God. 

“ And  you,  my  sister,”  he  concluded,  turning  towards 
the  gallery  where  La  Valli^re  sat  beside  the  Queen, 
“ descend,  approach  the  altar  ; victim  of  penitence,  ap- 
proach to  consummate  your  sacrifice.  The  fire  is  kindled; 
the  incense  is  prepared;  the  sword  is  drawn;  the  sword  is 
the  Word  that  separates  the  soul  from  itself  to  attach  it 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


wholly  to  God.  The  sacred  pontiff1  awaits  you  with  that 
mysterious  veil  that  you  demand.  Envelop  yourself  in 
that  veil;  live  hidden  from  yourself  as  well  as  from  the 
world;  and,  assured  of  God,  escape  from  yourself,  go  out 
from  yourself,  and  take  so  lofty  a flight  that  you  will  only 
find  rest  in  the  essence  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit.”  2 

While  the  congregation  was  still  under  the  spell  of 
the  great  preacher’s  eloquence,  Madame  de  La  Vallikre 
descended  from  the  gallery,  pale  as  death,  but  far  more 
composed  than  some  of  those  who  were  watching  her. 
With  a firm  step  she  approached  the  altar,  knelt  down, 
kissed  the  ground,  and  received  the  black  veil,  which  had 
been  presented  by  the  Queen  and  blessed  by  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Paris,  from  the  hands  of  the  prioress.3  When 
the  funereal  pall  was  seen  to  cover  the  penitent,  a shiver 
ran  through  the  assembly,  and  many  burst  into  tears. 

But  the  eyes  of  Soeur  Louise  de  la  Misericorde  were 
dry  ! 


“ Behold,  I make  all  things  new  ! ” 

When  Bossuet  had  chosen  these  words  for  his  text, 
Louise  de  La  Valli£re’s  conversion  was  not  the  only 
one  which  he  had  in  mind.  He  believed,  or  at  least 
he  hoped,  that  two  other  sinners  had  seen  the  error  of 
their  ways  and  had  definitely  resolved  to  begin  a new 
life. 

1 Harlay  de  Chanvallon,  Archbishop  of  Paris. 

3 Chefs-d'oeuvre  oratoires  de  Bossuet  (edit.  1844),  iv.  583  et  seq. 

3 And  not  from  those  of  Maria  Theresa,  as  so  many  writers  have 
stated. 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Madame  de  Montespan,  extraordinary  as  it  may  appear, 
in  view  of  what  we  have  already  related,  and  still  more 
extraordinary  in  view  of  what  we  shall  hereafter  have 
occasion  to  relate,  was  very  punctilious  in  the  discharge 
of  her  religious  duties.  “ Great  glutton  and  gourmand 
as  she  was,”  says  Saint-Simon,  “nothing  in  the  world  could 
have  induced  her  to  neglect  the  regulations  of  the  Church 
in  regard  to  the  fasts  of  Lent  and  the  Ember  Days,  and 
she  left  the  King  to  go  and  recite  some  prayers  every 
day  ” ; while  Madame  de  Caylus  assures  us  that  she  fasted 
so  rigidly  in  Lent  as  actually  to  have  her  bread  weighed. 
When  one  day  the  Duchesse  d’Uzks  expressed  her  astonish- 
ment at  such  scruples,  the  favourite  exclaimed,  “ What, 
Madame  ! Is  it  necessary  for  me,  because  I commit  one 
sin,  to  commit  all  the  others  as  well?”1  Hitherto  no 
obstacle  had  been  placed  in  the  way  of  her  performing 
her  Easter  devotions  ; but  when  on  Maundy-Thursday 
1675  she  applied  to  a priest  at  Versailles,  the  Abb£ 
Lecuyer,  for  absolution,  it  was  curtly  refused. 

The  marchioness,  highly  indignant,  complained  to  the 
King,  who  at  once  summoned  the  cure  of  the  parish  to 
which  Lecuyer  was  attached  to  the  chateau,  and  ordered 
him  to  admonish  his  subordinate.  The  cur£,  however, 
respectfully  yet  firmly  justified  the  priest’s  action,  declared 

1 The  Dauphin,  when  he  grew  up,  had  very  similar  scruples,  apropos 
of  which  the  Princess  Palatine  relates  the  following  story  : “ One  day 
the  Dauphin  brought  Raisin,  the  actress,  to  Choisy,  and  hid  her  in  a 
mill,  without  giving  her  anything  to  eat  or  drink  ; for  it  was  a fast-day, 
and  the  Dauphin  thought  there  was  no  greater  sin  than  to  eat  meat  on 
a fast-day.  After  the  Court  had  departed,  he  gave  her  for  supper  some 
salad  and  bread  toasted  in  oil.  Raisin  laughed  at  this  very  much,  and 
told  several  persons  about  it.  When  I heard  of  it,  I asked  the  Dauphir. 
what  he  meant  by  making  his  mistress  fast  in  this  manner.  ‘ I had  a 
mind,’  he  answered,  ‘ to  commit  one  sin,  not  two.’” 

H9 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


that  what  he  had  done  had  his  full  approval,  and  declined 
to  interfere. 

In  great  perplexity,  Louis  thereupon  consulted  Bossuet,1 
whom  he  held  in  the  highest  esteem,  and  with  whom  he 
frequently  had  long  conversations  in  regard  to  the  educa- 
tion of  the  Dauphin.  The  bishop  proved  true  to  the 
oath  which  he  had  sworn  at  his  consecration,  “ Si  mon 
roi  conseil  me  demande , bon  et  loyal  je  le  lui  donnerai ,”  and, 
without  a moment’s  hesitation,  replied  that,  “ under  the 
circumstances,  an  entire  and  absolute  separation  was  an 
indispensable  condition  of  being  admitted  to  participate 
in  the  Sacraments.” 

Now  Louis  XIV.  had  been  brought  up  by  his  mother, 
Anne  of  Austria,  to  regard  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of 
the  Church  with  an  almost  superstitious  reverence,  and  it 
is  said  that  during  the  whole  of  his  life  he  only  failed  to 
hear  mass  twice.  Thanks  to  the  excessive  indulgence  of 
his  confessor,  he  had  up  to  this  time,  like  Madame  de 
Montespan,  been  permitted  to  communicate ; but  the 
knowledge  of  his  utter  unworthiness  to  approach  the 
Holy  Table  had  troubled  him  sorely,  and  there  is  reason 
to  believe  that  on  at  least  one  occasion  he  had  communi- 
cated en  blanc , that  is  to  say,  with  unconsecrated  wafers. 
Moreover,  the  scandal  of  the  life  he  had  so  long  been 
living  had  lately  been  brought  very  forcibly  home  to  him 
by  Madame  de  La  Valliere’s  renunciation  of  the  world 
and  by  the  sermons  of  the  eloquent  Bourdaloue. 

The  celebrated  Jesuit  had  preached  at  the  Court  during 


1 Pere  de  La  Chaise,  who  had  just  been  appointed  confessor  to  the 
King,  was  also  called  into  consultation.  But  the  worthy  Father,  anxious 
to  stand  well  with  both  sides,  excused  himself  from  expressing  an  opinion, 
on  the  plea  that  “ it  behoved  him  to  remain  silent  in  the  presence  of  a 
bishop.” 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


that  Lent  and  the  preceding  one,  and  had  not  hesitated  to 
exhort  the  dissolute  monarch  to  repentance  in  the  strongest 
terms.  “ Ah,  Christians ! ” cried  he  one  day,  “ how  many 
conversions  would  not  your  single  example  produce  ! 
What  an  attraction  would  it  not  be  for  certain  sinners, 
discouraged  and  fallen  into  despair,  could  they  but  say 
to  themselves  : ‘ There  is  that  man  whom  we  have  seen 
wallowing  in  the  same  debauchery  as  ourselves,  there  he 
is,  converted  and  submissive  to  the  will  of  God  ! ’ ” 
Then,  addressing  himself  directly  to  the  King,  the  fearless 
preacher  continued:  “Truth  is  what  saves  kings,  and 
your  Majesty  seeks  it,  loves  them  who  make  it  known  to 
him,  can  have  nothing  but  contempt  for  those  who  hide 
it  from  him,  and,  far  from  resisting  it,  will  esteem  it 
glorious  to  be  conquered  by  it.” 

Such  being  the  case,  Louis  was  fain  to  admit  that 
Bossuet  was  in  the  right;  and  the  bishop,  following  up 
his  advantage,  pleaded  so  earnestly  and  so  forcibly  for  a 
separation  that  the  King  yielded,  sent  an  intimation  to 
Madame  de  Montespan  that  it  was  his  desire  that  she 
should  retire  to  her  house  in  the  Rue  de  Vaugirard  in 
Paris,  and  authorised  Bossuet  to  visit  her  there  and  do 
all  in  his  power  to  induce  her  to  consent  to  the  complete 
severance  of  their  guilty  connection. 

The  favourite,  though  furious  at  what  she  deemed  the 
pitiable  weakness  of  her  royal  lover,  understood  his 
character  too  well  to  believe  that  any  arguments  that  she 
might  make  use  of  would,  in  his  present  state  of  mind, 
be  of  the  slightest  avail,  and,  accordingly,  quitted  Ver- 
sailles that  very  day  for  Paris,  where,  the  same  evening, 
Bossuet  visited  her,  “muffled  in  a grey  cloak.” 

One  can  well  imagine  the  reception  he  encountered. 
“She  overwhelmed  him  with  reproaches,”  says  his  secretary, 

151 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


the  Abbe  Le  Dieu  ; “ she  declared  that  it  was  ambition 
that  had  prompted  him  to  obtain  her  dismissal;  that  he 
aspired  himself  to  dominate  the  King’s  mind.”  Then, 
finding  the  bishop  quite  unmoved  by  her  furious  denun- 
ciations, she  changed  her  tone ; strove  to  win  him  to  her 
side  by  flattery  and  promises;  “dangled  before  his  eyes 
the  highest  dignities  of  Church  and  State  ” ; vowed  that 
she  would  make  of  him  a second  Mazarin,  if  such  were 
his  wish,  provided  only  he  would  consent  to  be  blind,  or 
at  least  to  be  silent,  in  regard  to  her  relations  with  the 
King.  All  was  in  vain.  To  her  promises,  as  to  her 
insults,  Bossuet  replied  by  urging  her  to  make  reparation 
for  her  grievous  sin,  and  the  terrible  scandal  of  which  she 
had  been  the  cause,  by  consenting  to  do  as  Louis  required, 
and  living  henceforth  a reputable  and  Christian  life;  and, 
at  length,  after  several  further  interviews  had  taken  place 
between  them,  the  marchioness,  either  because  she  was  for 
the  moment  really  penitent,  or  more  probably  because, 
confident  of  her  ability  to  recover  her  empire  over  the 
royal  heart  before  many  months  had  passed,  she  had 
decided  that  her  best  course  was  to  humour  the  King, 
surrendered  at  discretion. 

In  the  meanwhile,  Louis,  a prey  to  conflicting  emotions, 
had  shut  himself  up  in  his  private  apartments,  where  for 
a whole  month  he  denied  himself  to  all  save  his  Ministers 
— who,  indeed,  were  only  admitted  when  their  business 
was  such  as  to  brook  no  delay — and  Bossuet.  The  latter 
saw  him  daily,  and  remained  closeted  with  him  for  hours 
at  a time,  applying  himself,  with  unremitting  zeal,  to  the 
task  of  comforting  his  disconsolate  master  and  confirming 
him  in  his  virtuous  resolutions.  The  Abb6  Le  Dieu 
relates  that  one  day  the  contrite  monarch  happened  to  pay 
a visit  to  the  Dauphin’s  study  at  the  moment  when,  by 

152 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


a singular  coincidence,  Bossuet  was  delivering,  for  the 
benefit  of  his  royal  pupil,  a homily  on  the  subject  of.  the 
temptations  which  beset  kings  and  the  dire  consequences 
of  yielding  to  them.  Louis  took  a seat,  begged  the  bishop 
to  proceed,  and  listened  with  great  attention  till  he  had 
finished,  when  he  exclaimed,  “ My  son,  avoid  these 
shameful  passions,  these  miserable  entanglements,  and 
take  good  care  never  to  follow  my  example  in  this  respect. 
I would  have  given  my  right  arm  to  be  cut  off — here,  in 
an  ecstasy  of  remorse,  he  extended  it  towards  the  young 
prince — to  have  had  strength  to  resist  such  a deplorable 
weakness ! M1 

The  submission  of  Madame  de  Montespan,  of  course, 
greatly  simplified  Bossuet’s  task;  and,  on  April  17, 
Louis  XIV.  communicated  at  the  parish  church  of 
Versailles,  while  the  marchioness,  now  believed  to  be  in 
a state  of  grace,  was  permitted  to  follow  his  example  in 
Paris.  A month  later,  the  King  announced  his  intention 
of  taking  command  of  the  army  in  Flanders,  where  a 
fresh  campaign  was  about  to  open.2  Before  setting  out, 
he  authorised  Madame  de  Montespan  to  remove  from 
Paris  to  Clagny;  and,  the  day  before  his  departure,  visited 
her  twice,  to  take  what  was  believed  to  be  a final  farewell 
of  his  ex-mistress.  In  proof  of  his  edifying  intentions, 
the  interviews  took  place  in  a cabinet  with  a glass  door, 
through  which  it  was  possible  to  see  them  “ from  head  to 
foot,”  as  Madame  de  Scud^ry  wrote  to  Bussy-Rabutin. 
The  lady  adds  that  “ the  conversations  were  long  and 

1 MSS.  fragments  of  the  Abbe  Le  Dieu,  quoted  in  Floquet’s  Bossuet , 
precepteur  du  Dauphin  et  eveque  a la  Cour , p.  497. 

2 According  to  M.  Floquet,  Bossuet  had  neglected  no  opportunity  of 
inflaming  his  sovereign’s  warlike  ardour,  in  the  hope  that  ambition  and 
the  thirst  for  military  glory  might  serve  to  divert  his  mind  from  the 
more  culpable  passion. 


>53 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


sorrowful.”  1 The  following  day,  when  on  the  point  ot 
starting  for  Flanders,  Louis  solemnly  assured  the  Queen, 
Bossuet,  Pere  de  La  Chaise,  and  the  cure  of  Versailles 
that  all  was  at  an  end  between  him  and  Madame  de 
Montespan. 

But  the  battle  was  not  yet  won.  The  King  and 
the  marchioness  had  both  professed  the  most  sincere 
contrition,  had  both  given  repeated  assurances  that  the 
scandal  should  never  be  renewed,  and  the  lady  was  no 
longer  at  the  Court.  But  human  nature  is  deplorably 
weak — a violent  passion,  as  poor  Mademoiselle  de 
Fontanges  afterwards  reminded  Madame  de  Maintenon, 
is  not  got  rid  or  as  easily  as  a soiled  garment — and  Clagny 
was  but  a stone’s  throw  from  Versailles.  To  regard  what 
had  occurred,  as  some  of  the  devots  insisted  on  doing,  as  a 
great  victory  for  religion  and  morality  seemed  to  persons 
of  common-sense  the  purest  chimera.  When,  at  the 
conclusion  of  his  course  of  sermons,  Bourdaloue  had  gone, 
according  to  custom,  to  take  leave  of  the  King,  Louis  had 
said  to  him,  “Father,  you  will  be  pleased  with  me;  I 
have  sent  Madame  de  Montespan  to  Clagny.”  “ Sire,” 
the  outspoken  Jesuit  had  replied,  “ God  would  have  been 
far  more  pleased  if  Clagny  were  forty  leagues  from 
Versailles.” 2 And  Madame  de  Scudery  wrote  to  her 
friend,  Bussy-Rabutin  : “ The  King  and  Madame  de 

Montespan  have  parted,  loving  each  other,  so  it  is  said, 
more  than  life.  They  say  that  she  will  return  to  Court, 
but  will  not  reside  in  the  chateau,  and  will  never  see  the 
King  except  in  the  Queen’s  apartments.  I doubt  it,  or  at 
least  I doubt  that  it  will  continue  thus,  for  there  would  be 
great  danger  of  love  recovering  its  supremacy.”  To  which 

1 Madame  de  Scudery  to  Bussy-Rabutin,  May  15,  1675. 

2 Languet  de  Gergy’s  Memoires  de  Madame  de  Maintenon. 

•5  + 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


the  sage  Bussy  answers:  “One  does  not  gain  the  victory 
over  love  save  by  running  away  from  it.” 

The  danger  which  was  so  clearly  seen  by  Bourdaloue, 
by  Madame  de  Scudery,  and  by  Bussy-Rabutin  was  equally 
apparent  to  Bossuet.  “ Pray  to  God  for  me,  I beseech 
you,”  he  writes  to  Marechal  de  Bellefonds  ; “ pray  to 
Him  to  deliver  me  from  the  heaviest  burden  which  can  be 
laid  upon  a man,  or  to  put  to  death  all  that  is  earthly 
within  me,  so  that  I may  act  through  Him  alone.  Thank 
God,  throughout  the  whole  of  this  matter  I have  not  once 
thought  of  myself.  But  that  is  not  enough;  one  ought 
to  be  a St.  Ambrose,  a true  man  of  God,  altogether  or 
another  world,  whose  every  act  might  preach,  whose  every 
word  were  an  oracle  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  whose  whole 
conduct  were  heavenly.  God  chooses  that  which  is  of  no 
account  to  confound  that  which  is;  but  to  do  this  one 
ought  not  ‘to  be’;  that  is  to  say,  one  ought  to  be  nothing 
whatever  in  one’s  own  eyes,  emptied  of  self,  wholly  filled 
by  God.”  1 

Never  for  a single  moment  did  he  relax  his  efforts  to 
finish  the  good  work  he  had  so  well  begun.  The  King, 
on  setting  out  to  join  the  army,  had  expressed  a desire 
that  Bossuet  should  correspond  with  him  during  his 
absence  in  Flanders ; and  the  bishop  joyfully  acceded  to 
his  sovereign’s  request  and  wrote  frequently,  exhorting 
him  to  remember  “ the  promises  which  he  had  given  to 
God  and  man,”  and  encouraging  him  in  his  resolution  to 
lead  a life  which  should  henceforth  be  above  reproach. 
For  nobility  of  thought  and  dignity  of  language,  combined 
with  respectful  firmness,  the  following  letter,  we  venture 
to  think,  has  seldom  been  surpassed  : — 

1 CEuvres  completes,  xi.  24  ; Letter  of  June  20,  1675. 


>55 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Bossuet  to  Louis  XIV. 

“ Sire, — The  Day  of  Pentecost,  on  which  your  Majesty 
has  resolved  to  communicate,  draws  near.  Although  I 
doubt  not  that  you  are  thinking  seriously  of  your  promise 
to  God,  as  you  have  commanded  me  to  remind  you  of  it, 
I feel  that  at  this  season  it  is  especially  incumbent  upon 
me  to  do  so.  Remember,  Sire,  that  there  can  be  no  true 
conversion  unless  you  labour  to  eradicate  from  your  heart 
not  only  the  sin  itself  but  its  original  cause.  True  con- 
version does  not  content  itself  with  destroying  the  fruits 
of  death,  as  Scripture  saith,  that  is  to  say,  sins  ; but  it 
goes  down  to  the  root,  which  will  infallibly  cause  them  to 
revive  if  it  is  not  plucked  out.  This  is  not  the  work  of 
a day,  I admit ; but  the  longer  and  more  difficult  this 
work  is,  the  greater  the  need  to  labour  at  it.  Your  Majesty 
would  not  consider  yourself  assured  of  a rebel  town  as  long 
as  the  author  of  its  sedition  retained  its  credit  there.  In 
like  manner,  your  heart  will  never  be  at  peace  with  God 
as  long  as  this  violent  passion,  which  has  for  so  long 
estranged  you  from  Him,  continues  to  reign  there. 

“ Nevertheless,  Sire,  it  is  this  heart  which  God  demands. 
Your  Majesty  is  acquainted  with  the  terms  in  which  He 
commands  us  to  give  it  wholly  and  entirely  to  Him  ; you 
have  promised  me  to  read  and  re-read  them  frequently. 
I send  you  again,  Sire,  other  words  of  this  same  God, 
which  are  not  less  urgent,  and  which  I entreat  your 
Majesty  to  place  beside  the  first.  I have  given  them  to 
Madame  de  Montespan,  and  they  have  caused  her  to  shed 
many  tears.  And  assuredly,  Sire,  there  is  no  more  just 
cause  for  tears  than  the  knowledge  that  one  has  pledged 
to  a human  being  a heart  that  God  claims  for  himself. 
How  difficult  it  is  to  withdraw  from  so  unhappy  and  fatal 

1 56 


JACQUES  BENIGNE  BOSSUET 

From  an  Engraving  after  the  Painting  by  Rigaud 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


an  entanglement ! Nevertheless,  Sire,  it  must  be  done,  or 
there  can  be  no  hope  of  salvation.  Jesus  Christ,  whom 
you  are  about  to  receive,  will  give  you  the  strength,  as 
He  has  already  given  you  the  desire. 

“ I do  not  ask,  Sire,  that  you  should  stamp  out  all  in  a 
moment  a flame  so  violent  ; that  would  be  to  ask  the  im- 
possible. But,  Sire,  strive  to  subdue  it  little  by  little  ; 
fear  to  maintain  it.  Turn  vour  heart  towards  God  ; 
think  often  of  your  obligation  to  love  Him  with  all  your 
strength,  and  of  the  unhappy  condition  of  a heart  which, 
in  attaching  itself  to  a human  being,  is  thereby  rendered 
incapable  of  giving  itself  wholly  to  God,  to  whom  it 
belongs. 

“ I trust,  Sire,  that  the  many  great  interests  which  every 
day  tend  to  occupy  your  attention  more  and  more  will 
do  much  towards  effecting  your  cure.  People  speak  of 
nothing  but  the  splendour  of  your  troops  and  of  what 
they  are  capable  of  effecting  under  so  great  a commander ; 
and  I,  Sire,  the  while,  I think  in  secret  of  a war  far  more 
important,  and  of  a victory  far  more  difficult  that  God 
puts  before  you. 

“ Meditate,  Sire,  upon  those  words  of  the  Son  of  God; 
they  would  seem  to  have  been  uttered  for  great  kings  and 
conquerors  : ‘ What  shall  it  profit  a man,’  saith  He,  ‘ if  he 
gain  the  whole  world  and  lose  his  own  soul  ? and  what 
can  recompense  him  for  so  terrible  a loss  ? ’ What  will  it 
profit  you,  Sire,  to  be  redoubtable  and  victorious  without, 
if  you  are  vanquished  and  a captive  within  ? Pray  then 
to  God  that  He  may  set  you  free.  I pray  to  Him  for 
that  incessantly  with  my  whole  heart.  My  anxiety  for 
your  salvation  redoubles  daily,  because  I see  every  day 
more  clearly  the  perils  which  beset  your  path. 

“ Sire,  grant  me  a favour : order  Pere  de  La  Chaise  to 

*57 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


send  me  word  of  the  state  which  you  are  in.  I shall  be 
content  if  I learn  from  him  that  distance  and  occupation 
are 'beginning  to  have  the  beneficent  effect  that  we  had 
hoped  for.  You  have  now  a precious  opportunity.  Far 
removed  from  temptations  and  occasions  for  sin,  you  are  in 
a position  more  tranquilly  to  consult  your  needs,  form 
your  resolutions,  and  regulate  your  conduct.  May  God 
bless  your  Majesty  ! May  God  give  you  victory,  and, 
with  victory,  peace  both  within  and  without  ! The  more 
your  Majesty  gives  your  heart  in  sincerity  to  God,  the 
more  you  put  all  your  trust  and  confidence  in  Him, 
the  more  will  He  protect  you  with  His  All-powerful 
Arm. 

“ I visit  Madame  de  Montespan  as  frequently  as  pos- 
sible, in  compliance  with  your  Majesty’s  commands.  I 
find  her  fairly  resigned  ; she  occupies  herself  largely  with 
good  works,  and  she  seems  to  me  to  be  much  affected  by 
the  truths  which  I lay  before  her,  which  are  the  same  as 
those  of  which  I have  spoken  to  your  Majesty.  May 
God  impress  them  on  both  your  hearts,  and  perfect  His 
work,  so  that  all  the  sorrows,  the  sufferings,  and  the 
exertions  which  you  have  undergone  in  order  to  subdue 
yourselves  may  not  be  in  vain. 

“ I say  nothing  to  your  Majesty  concerning  Mon- 
seieneurle  Dauphin.  M.  de  Montausier  is  sending  you  a 
faithful  account  of  his  state  of  health,  which,  thank  God, 
is  perfect.  The  instructions  which  your  Majesty  gave  on 
leaving  are  scrupulously  carried  out,  and  it  appears  to  me 
that  Monseigneur  le  Dauphin  is  more  than  ever  deter- 
mined to  profit  by  what  your  Majesty  has  said  to  him. 
God,  Sire,  will  bless  your  Majesty,  provided  you  are 
faithful  to  Him. 

“ I am,  with  profound  respect  and  submission,  Sire, 

158 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


your  Majesty’s  most  humble,  obedient,  and  faithful 
subject  and  servant, 

“ J.  Benigne, 

“ Anc.  iv.  de  Condom d’1 

On  Whit-Sunday,  Louis  duly  communicated  in  the  camp 
at  Latines,  “ avec  beaucoup  de  marques  de  piete ,”  writes 
Pellisson,  who  was  a witness  of  the  ceremony.2  The  same 
day  Madame  de  Montespan  also  performed  her  devotions  ; 
and  we  learn  from  Madame  de  Sevign6  that  “ her  life  was 
exemplary,”  and  that  she  was  dividing  her  time  between 
superintending  the  workmen  who  were  putting  the  finish- 
ing touches  to  Clagny  and  playing  hoca 3 with  Monsieur  at 
Saint-Cloud  ! At  the  beginning  of  June,  one  of  her 
children,  the  Comte  de  Vexin,  was  taken  ill  with  fever, 
and  the  marchioness,  who,  whatever  her  faults  may  have 
been,  was  certainly  a most  devoted  mother,  insisted  on 
nursing  him  herself,  and  scarcely  left  his  side  for  a whole 
week.  The  Court,  delighted  to  have  an  excuse  for 
visiting  Clagny  to  see  for  itself  how  the  ex-favourite  was 
bearing  her  disgrace,  flocked  to  inquire  after  the  little 
invalid,  and  Madame  de  Montespan  complacently  remarks, 
in  a letter  to  her  friend,  the  Duchesse  de  Noailles,  that  it 
was  very  evident  that  “ the  majority  of  people  had  re- 
tained a great  regard  for  her.”  Among  the  visitors  was 
the  Queen,  who  spent  half  an  hour  in  the  sick-room  and 
then  persuaded  the  anxious  mother  to  drive  with  her  to 
Trianon.  Poor  Maria  Theresa,  it  may  be  added,  seems 
to  have  entertained  no  doubts  whatever  as  to  the  sincerity 

1 Formerly  Bishop  of  Condom.  It  was  thus  that  Bossuet  signed 
himself  from  the  time  of  his  resignation  of  the  see  of  Condom  till  his 
appointment  to  that  of  Meaux. 

2 Lettres  historiques  de  Pellisson  (edit.  1729),  ii.  276. 

3 Hoca  was  a game  of  hazard  introduced  into  France  by  Mazarin, 

1 59 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


of  the  lady’s  repentance.  She  and  the  marchioness  had 
had,  a few  days  after  the  King’s  departure,  an  interview 
of  two  hours  duration  at  the  Carmelites  in  the  Rue  du 
Bouloi,  and  had  parted  “ seemingly  very  much  pleased 
with  each  other.”1 

Absence,  La  Rochefoucauld  tells  us,  while  proving  fatal 
to  minor  passions,  serves  as  a stimulus  to  great  ones,  just 
as  the  wind  which  extinguishes  a candle  fans  a fire  into  a 
blaze.  If  Bossuet  believed  that  “ distance  and  occupation 
were  beginning  to  have  the  beneficent  effect  he  had  hoped 
from  them  ” ; if  the  Queen  was  convinced  of  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  good  faith,  there  was  a person  at  Versailles, 
a grave,  silent,  austere  man,  the  very  last  in  the  world  one 
would  have  thought  capable  of  playing  the  role  of  inter- 
mediary in  an  illicit  love  affair,  who,  had  he  chosen  to 
speak,  could  very  speedily  have  undeceived  them.  During 
his  absence  in  Flanders,  Louis  XIV.  had,  as  usual,  kept 
himself  in  constant  communication  with  the  Comptroller- 
General,  Colbert ; but  the  letters  which  passed  between 
the  monarch  and  his  favourite  Minister  in  the  course  of 
that  summer  were  by  no  means  confined  to  affairs  of 
State. 

Louis  XIV.  to  Colbert. 

“ Camp  at  Gembloux, 

“ May  28,  1675. 

“ Madame  de  Montespan  sends  me  word  that  you  have 
given  orders  for  the  purchase  of  some  orange-trees  (for 
Clagny),  and  that  you  never  fail  to  consult  her  wishes. 

1 Madame  de  S6vigne  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  May  29,  1675. 

It  was  the  Duchesse  de  Richelieu,  the  Queen’s  dame  d’konneur , a lady 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  Madame  de  Montespan,  who  had  brought 
about  this  reconciliation,  and  “had  received  such  kind  and  affectionate 
letters  from  the  Kingthat  shewas  more  than  repaid  forwhat  she  haddone,” 

160 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


“ Continue  to  follow  the  instructions  I have  given  you 
in  this  matter,  as  you  have  done  up  to  the  present.” 


Louis  XIV.  to  Colbert. 

“ Camp  at  Latines, 

“ June  5,  1675. 

“ I see  by  the  letter  you  have  sent  me  that  the  Assembly 
of  the  Clergy  has  begun  very  well.  Do  everything  in 
your  power  to  induce  them  to  finish  soon. 

“ Continue  to  do  whatever  Madame  de  Montespan 
may  wish,  and  let  me  know  what  orange-trees  have  been 
brought  to  Clagny,  for  she  informs  me  that  there  are 
some  there,  but  I do  not  know  what  kind  they  are.” 


Lours  XIV.  to  Colbert. 

“Camp  at  Latines, 

“ June  8,  1675. 

“ The  expense  is  excessive,1  and  I perceive  by  this  that, 
in  order  to  please  me,  nothing  is  impossible  for  you. 
Madame  de  Montespan  informs  me  that  you  are  acquitting 
yourself  admirably  in  the  matter  about  which  I sent  you 
instructions,  and  that  you  are  constantly  inquiring  if  there 
is  anything  which  she  desires.  Continue  to  do  so  on  all 
occasions. 

“ She  also  tells  me  that  she  has  been  to  Sceaux,  where 
she  spent  a pleasant  evening.  I have  advised  her  to  go 
one  day  to  Dampierre,  and  have  assured  her  that  Madame 
de  Chevreuse  and  Madame  Colbert  will  give  her  a hearty 
welcome.  I am  sure  that  you  will  do  the  same.  I shall 
be  very  pleased  if  she  can  find  something  to  amuse  her, 

1 The  expense  of  the  construction  of  Clagny. 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


and  the  ladies  in  question  are  well  qualified  to  divert  her. 
See  that  my  wishes  are  carried  out. 

“ 1 am  well  persuaded  that  you  will  know  what  steps  to 
take  in  order  to  provide  her  with  facilities  for  amuse- 
ment.” 


Louis  XIV.  to  Colbert. 

“Camp  on  the  Heights  before  Huy, 

“June  15,  1675. 

“ I am  very  pleased  that  you  have  purchased  some 
orange-trees  for  Clagny.  Continue  to  procure  the  finest, 
if  Madame  de  Montespan  so  desires.” 

The  tone  of  these  letters,  and  still  more  the  evidence 
which  they  contain  that  a clandestine  correspondence  was 
being  carried  on  between  Louis  and  the  ex-favourite,  are 
hardly  consistent  with  the  former’s  declaration  that  all 
was  at  an  end  between  him  and  Madame  de  Montespan, 
and,  in  point  of  fact,  the  flame  of  the  monarch’s  guilty 
love,  far  from  being  quenched,  was  about  to  burn  more 
ardently  than  ever. 

At  the  beginning  of  July,  Louis  wrote  to  Bossuet, 
giving  him  renewed  assurance  of  his  virtuous  intentions, 
and  asking  whether,  in  view  of  their  altered  relations 
it  might  not  be  possible  for  Madame  de  Montespan  to 
return  to  Court  and  resume  her  duties  as  dame  du  palais 
to  the  Queen.  The  prelate,  as  might  be  expected,  hastened 
to  reply  that  such  a concession,  besides  being  contrary  to 
all  the  laws  of  the  Church,  would  be  to  invite  an  inevitable 
relapse,  and  could  by  no  means  be  permitted. 

Finding  Bossuet  inexorable,  Louis  applied  to  his  con- 
fessor, Pere  de  La  Chaise,  who  had  accompanied  him  to 
Flanders  “ to  give  him  heart  against  heart.”  The  prudent 

162 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Jesuit  answered  that  of  course  he,  an  humble  priest,  could 
not  possibly,  on  his  own  responsibility,  sanction  an  arrange- 
ment upon  which  a bishop  had  just  imposed  his  veto,  but 
that  he  would  consult  the  Archbishop  of  Paris  (Harlay  de 
Chanvallon) — a very  accommodating  divine  indeed,  it  may 
be  observed — who  might  conceivably  be  disposed  to  take 
a more  lenient  view  of  the  matter.  The  outcome  of  the 
correspondence  which  passed  between  the  confessor  and 
the  metropolitan  was  that,  a few  days  before  the  date  fixed 
for  Louis  XIV.’s  return  from  Flanders,  Bossuet  learned, 
to  his  inexpressible  sorrow  and  mortification,  that  Madame 
de  Montespan  was  re-established  at  Versailles,  the  arch- 
bishop and  Pere  de  La  Chaise  having  consented  to  her 
return  “ because  the  King  had  given  his  word  of  honour 
that  he  would  do  nothing  but  what  was  right.”1 

Although  in  despair  at  the  discovery  that  his  worst 
fears  were  about  to  be  confirmed,  Bossuet,  nevertheless, 
resolved  to  make  one  last  effort  to  prevent  a renewal  of 
the  terrible  scandal  which  had  so  long  disgraced  the  Court. 
Accordingly,  when  Louis,  “ intoxicated  by  his  recent 
triumphs,  forgetful  of  the  solemn  promises  and  protesta- 
tions made  by  him  at  the  hour  of  departure,  and  greedily 
impatient,  after  a separation  of  three  or  four  months,  to 
once  more  behold  his  mistress,  warned  to  be  at  Versailles 
at  the  precise  moment  of  his  return,”  stopped  to  change 
horses  at  Luzarches,  the  first  person  he  caught  sight  of 
was  the  austere  bishop  advancing  to  meet  him,  pale  but 
determined.  The  King  did  not  give  him  time  to  speak. 

1 CEuvres  d' Antoine  Arnauld  (edit.  1785),  v.  722.  It  is  hardly 
surprising  that  the  archbishop  should  have  been  so  complaisant,  since  he 
kept  a mistress  of  his  own,  a certain  Madame  de  Bretonvilliers,  whom  the 
wits  of  Paris  called  “ La  Cathedrale For  a further  account  of  the  amours 
of  this  prelate  see  Correspondence  de  Bussy-Rabutin,  v.  39  and  appendix  ; 
Revue  retrospective , vol.  i.  165. 


163 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


“ Say  nothing  to  me,  Monsieur  ; say  nothing  to  me  ! ” he 
stammered,  visibly  embarrassed  and  reddening  with  annoy- 
ance. “ 1 have  given  my  orders ; they  must  be  obeyed.” 1 
Louis  continued  his  journey  to  Versailles,  where  the 
whole  Court  was,  of  course,  simmering  with  excitement. 
Which  of  the  combatants  was  to  conquer — the  bishop  or 
the  marchioness,  duty  or  passion,  right  or  wrong?  To 
the  Scuderys,  the  S£vign6s,  and  the  Bussy-Rabutins  it  was 
all  as  diverting  as  a comedy  by  Moliere.  Its  suspense 
was  speedily  relieved.  Madame  de  Caylus  tells  us  that  it 
was  the  general  opinion  among  the  ladies  that  Madame 
de  Montespan  ought  not  to  appear  before  the  King  with- 
out some  preparation  on  both  sides,  and  that  it  would  be 
advisable  for  their  first  meeting  to  take  place  in  public, 
“ in  order  to  guard  against  the  inconveniences  of  surprise.” 
So  it  was  arranged  that  his  Majesty  should  visit  Madame 
de  Montespan  in  her  apartments,  but,  to  leave  no  further 
room  for  scandal,  that  several  ladies  of  the  highest  rank 
and  the  most  unblemished  virtue  should  be  present  at  the 
interview.  We  will  let  the  chronicler  relate  the  sequel  in 
her  own  words  : — 

“The  King  came,  accordingly,  to  Madame  de  Monte- 
span’s  apartments,  as  had  been  decided ; but  he  gradually 
drew  her  into  the  embrasure  of  a window,  where  they 
whispered  together  for  a long  time,  wept,  and  said  what 
is  usually  said  in  such  cases.  Finally,  they  made  a pro- 
found reverence  to  these  venerable  matrons,  and  withdrew 
into  an  adjoining  room  ; and  thence  came  the  Duchcsse 
d’Orleans2  and  afterwards  the  Comte  de  Toulouse.”3 

1 Floquet’s  Bos  suet,  precepteur  du  Dauphin  et  eveque  a la  Cour,  p.  5 1 1 . 

2 Madame  de  Montespan’s  youngest  daughter,  born  in  June  1677  ; 
she  married  the  Due  de  Chartres,  afterwards  Regent. 

3 Madame  de  Montespan’s  youngest  son,  born  in  July  1678. 

1 64 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Madame  de  Caylus  concludes,  with  obvious  malice  : “ It 
seems  to  me  that  one  can  still  detect  in  the  character,  the 
physiognomy,  and  the  whole  person  of  the  Duchesse 
d’Orl£ans  traces  of  this  combat  between  love  and 
religion.”1 

1 Souvenirs  et  Correspondance  de  Madame  de  Caxlus  (edit.  1889),  p.  46. 


,6S 


CHAPTER  XII 


Madame  Scarron  at  Court — She  is  divided  between  the  claims 
of  religion  and  self-interest — Her  confessor,  the  Abbe  Gobelin, 
assures  her  that  it  is  her  duty  to  remain  with  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  children — She  consents  to  do  so  with  pretended 
reluctance — Relations  between  her  and  Madame  de  Montespan, 
at  first  friendly,  soon  become  strained — The  children  the 
principal  cause  of  the  differences  between  them — Madame 
Scarron  complains  to  her  confessor  of  Madame  de  Montespan’s 
treatment  of  her — “ Pray  to  God  to  guide  my  plans  ” — She 
purchases  the  Chateau  of  Maintenon,  and  takes  the  name  oi 
her  property — She  resolves  on  the  conversion  of  Louis  XIV. 
and  the  discomfiture  of  the  favourite — Her  resolution  apparently 
the  result  of  a rapprochement  between  her  and  the  devout  party 
— To  satisfy  her  conscience,  she  begins  by  warning  Madame 
de  Montespan  of  the  error  of  her  ways — She  remonstrates 
with  Louis  XIV. — The  King  a witness  to  a violent  scene 
between  her  and  Madame  de  Montespan — Her  conduct  at  the 
time  of  Madame  de  Montespan’s  temporary  disgrace — She 
takes  the  Due  du  Maine  to  Bareges — Honours  paid  to  them 
on  the  journey — Scene  of  enthusiasm  at  Bordeaux — Madame 
de  Maintenon  corresponds  with  Louis  XIV. — The  antagonism 
between  her  and  Madame  de  Montespan  an  open  secret  at 
Court — Consideration  shown  her  on  her  return  to  Versailles 
— “ Atys  is  too  happy  ! ” 

We  left  Madame  Scarron,  with  her  charges,  established  at 
Court,  a position  which,  of  course,  brought  her  into  daily- 
intercourse  with  Madame  de  Montespan  and  afforded 
her  increased  opportunities  for  confirming  the  excellent 

1 66 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


impression  she  had  already  made  upon  the  King.  The 
worthy  gouvernante  s translation  from  the  Rue  de  Vaugirard 
to  Versailles  had  not  been  accomplished  save  at  the  cost  of 
a severe  struggle  between  her  religious  convictions  and  the 
dictates  of  worldly  prudence.  She  could  not  disguise  from 
herself  that  her  position  was  hardly  one  that  was  consistent 
with  professions  of  exalted  piety,  for  the  specious  argument 
that  she  was  sacrificing  her  repose  and  her  reputation  in 
order  to  bring  poor  neglected  children  up  in  a Christian 
manner,  wherewith  she  would  appear  to  have  quieted  her 
conscience  during  the  past  four  years,  no  longer  served 
her  : now  that  her  charges  had  been  acknowledged,  a 
dozen  ladies  of  high  rank  would  have  been  only  too 
delighted  to  undertake  the  responsibility.  At  the  same 
time,  there  was  not  a courtier  at  Versailles  more  deter- 
mined to  push  his  fortunes  by  pleasing  his  sovereign  than 
this  devout  widow,  and  the  practical  side  of  her  nature 
revolted  at  the  thought  of.  rejecting  so  excellent  an 
opportunity  of  advancement. 

Madame  Scarron  was  much  assisted  in  her  task  ot 
reconciling  the  conflicting  claims  of  religion  and  self- 
interest  by  her  judicious  choice  of  a confessor.  This  was 
a certain  Abbe  Gobelin,  one  of  those  intelligent  directeurs , 
in  whom  the  seventeenth  century  was  so  prolific,  who 
endeared  themselves  to  the  fair  ladies  who  sought  their 
advice  by  invariably  counselling  them  to  do  what  they 
perceived  that  they  wished.1  In  the  present  instance,  the 

1 Bourdaloue,  who,  in  later  years,  declined  the  honour  of  directing 
Madame  de  Maintenon’s  conscience,  was  very  severe  upon  the  fashionable 
lady’s  confessor  of  this  type,  “ who  seems  to  have  received  a mission 
from  God  for  one  soul  alone,  to  whom  he  devotes  all  his  attention  ; 
who  several  times  a week  regularly  passes  several  hours  with  her,  either 
in  the  confessional  or  elsewhere,  in  converse  of  which  no  one  can  divine 
the  subject  or  conceive  the  utility.” 

167 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


holy  man,  who,  doubtless,  had  a very  nice  appreciation  of 
the  value  of  Court  favour,  and  was  fully  alive  to  the 
advantage  of  having  a friend  so  near  the  person  of  the 
King,  assured  Madame  Scarron  that  it  was  her  duty  to 
remain  with  Madame  de  Montespan’s  children,  however 
painful  it  might  be  ; and  the  lady  consented  to  do  so,  with 
secret  relief,  but  with  much  apparent  reluctance. 

“ I know  not  how  long  1 shall  remain  here,”  she  writes 
to  the  abbe  on  first  arriving  at  the  Court.  “ But  I am 
resolved  to  conduct  myself  like  a child,  to  strive  to 
acquire  a profound  indifference  for  all  my  surroundings, 
and  for  the  mode  of  life  to  which  I am  compelled  to  con- 
form, to  detach  myself  altogether  from  what  troubles  my 
repose,  and  to  seek  God  in  everything  that  I do.  Please 
remember  that  I am  remaining  at  Court  in  accordance 
with  your  desire,  and  that  I shall  leave  the  moment  you 
counsel  me  to  do  so.”1 

In  spite  of  her  efforts  to  convince  herself  that  she  was 
doing  violence  to  her  feelings  by  remaining  at  Court,  it  is 
probable  that  Madame  Scarron  would  have  been  well  con- 
tent with  her  lot  but  for  her  relations  with  Madame  de 
Montespan.  For  a few  weeks  matters  went  smoothly 
enough  between  the  two  ladies.  The  favourite  was  de- 
lighted to  have  at  her  beck  and  call  a person  so  amiable, 
so  charming,  and  so  eminently  serviceable,  and  seemed  as 
if  she  could  not  see  enough  of  her.  Every  evening 
Madame  Scarron  would  go  to  the  marchioness’s  apart- 
ments, at  the  hour  when  the  King  usually  took  his  leave, 
and  remain,  conversing  with  the  sultana,  while  the  latter 
made  her  preparations  for  retiring  for  the  night,  and 
frequently  accompanied  her  in  her  drives  and  visits  to 
Paris.  But  soon  quarrels  arose.  The  children  were  the 

1 Correspondance  getter  ale  de  Madame  de  Maintenon,  195. 

168 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


principal  bone  of  contention.  As  was  only  to  be  expected, 
the  little  ones  were  far  more  attached  to  their  gouvernantey 
who  had  tended  them  with  so  much  care  and  devotion 
ever  since  they  could  remember,  than  to  the  mother  of 
whom  they  had  seen  so  little,  and  showed  their  preference 
in  the  naive  manner  peculiar  to  the  young.  Madame  de 
Montespan,  who  could  not  bear  to  occupy  a subordinate 
position,  even  in  the  affections  of  a child,  was  annoyed, 
and  her  annoyance  took  the  form  of  constant  interference 
with  the  regime  of  the  nursery.  She  would  invade  the 
children’s  apartments  at  all  hours,  stuff  the  poor  infants 
with  unwholesome  food,  scold  the  nurses,  and,  when 
Madame  Scarron  ventured  to  remonstrate,  fly  into  the 
most  ungovernable  passions. 

“ Madame  de  Montespan  and  I have  had  to-day  a very 
sharp  altercation,”  writes  the  gouvernante  to  her  confessor, 
“ and,  as  I am  the  party  that  suffers,  I have  wept  much, 
while  she  gave  her  own  version  of  it  to  the  King.  I con- 
fess that  I find  it  extremely  difficult  to  remain  in  a 
position  in  which  I may  have  mischances  like  this  every 
day,  and  that  it  would  be  very  sweet  to  resume  my 
liberty.  Over  and  over  again  I have  wished  to  be  a nun, 
and  the  dread  of  repenting  of  it  has  made  me  pass  through 
many  states  of  feeling  that  a thousand  persons  would  call 
a vocation.  For  several  months  I have  been  dying  to  go 
into  retirement,  but  the  same  fear  hinders  me  from  doing 
so.  This  is  a very  cowardly  kind  of  prudence,  and  my 
life  is  consumed  in  strange  agitations.  Think  of  it  before 
God,  I implore  you,  and  reflect  a little  upon  my  need  for 
repose.  I feel  that  I can  assure  my  salvation  here,  but  I 
should  be  more  certain  of  it  elsewhere.  I cannot  believe 
that  it  is  God’s  will  that  I should  put  up  with  Madame  de 
Montespan.  She  is  incapable  of  friendship,  and  I cannot 

169 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


do  without  that  : she  cannot  endure  my  opposition  without 
hating  me  ; she  represents  me  to  the  King  just  as  she 
pleases  and  causes  me  to  lose  his  esteem.  He  regards  me 
as  an  eccentric  kind  of  woman,  who  must  be  humoured, 
and  I dare  not  speak  directly  to  him,  as  she  would  never 
forgive  me  ; and,  even  if  I were  to  speak,  my  obligations 
to  Madame  de  Montespan  would  prevent  me  from  saying 
anything  against  her.  Thus  I can  find  no  remedy  for  my 
sufferings.  Meanwhile,  death  is  approaching,  and  you 
and  I shall  deeply  regret  so  much  wasted  time.”1 

Other  letters  in  much  the  same  strain  follow,  in  one  of 
which  she  complains  that  “ the  children  are  being  killed 
under  her  very  eyes  (presumably  by  over-indulgence)  and 
that  she  is  powerless  to  prevent  it  ” ; and  in  another 
that  she  is  “ perishing  away  visibly  and  has  the  saddest 
fits  of  depression.”  As  time  goes  on,  however,  we  begin 
to  notice  a change  in  the  tone  of  her  letters.  She  still 
complains  bitterly  of  her  hard  fate,  still  offers  to  resign 
her  post  the  moment  her  confessor  thinks  it  advisable,  but 
she  is  evidently  possessed  by  some  great  resolution.  “ I beg 
of  you  to  ask  God  to  guide  my  project  for  His  glory  and  for  my 
salvation .”  And  again  : “ Pray  to  God  to  guide  my  plans."  2 

Now,  what  was  this  project,  these  plans,  for  which 
Madame  Scarron — or  rather  Madame  de  Maintenon,  as 
we  must  now  call  her,  since,  at  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1675,  she  had  purchased  the  Chateau  of  Maintenon,3  and, 
in  accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  time,  taken  the  name 

1 Con espondance  generate,  i.  220;  Letter  of  September  13,  1674. 

2 Letters  of  March  6 and  29,  1675. 

3 The  Chateau  de  Maintenon,  situated  in  what  is  now  the  department 
of  Eure-et-Loir,  fourteen  leagues  from  Paris,  ten  from  Versailles,  and 
four  from  Chartres,  had  been  built  by  Jean  Cottercau,  tresorier  des  finances , 
under  Louis  XII.  and  Francois  I.  Louis  XIV.  did  not,  as  stated  by 
several  writers,  make  Madame  Scarron  a present  of  this  property.  She 

170 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


of  her  property — was  inviting  her  confessor’s  prayers  ? 
Nothing  less  than  the  conversion  of  Louis  XIV.  and  the 
discomfiture  of  Madame  de  Montespan  ! 

There  can  be  little  doubt  that  in  the  interval  between 
Madame  de  Maintenon’s  arrival  at  Court  and  the  time  at 
which  the  above  passages  were  written  a rapprochement  of 
some  kind  had  taken  place  between  the  lady  and  the 
devout  party,  of  which  Bossuet  and  the  Due  de  Montau- 
sier,  the  Dauphin’s  governor,  were  the  recognised  chiefs. 
In  the  eyes  of  these  worthy  men  the  King’s  incontinency 
was  a far  greater  calamity  for  his  realm  than  the  wide- 
spread misery  and  want  that  his  continual  wars  and  reckless 
expenditure  were  bringing  upon  the  wretched  peasantry  ; 
indeed,  it  is  not  improbable  that  some  of  them  were  in- 
clined to  attribute  these  evils  to  the  Divine  wrath  at  his 
Majesty’s  disregard  of  the  Seventh  Commandment  rather 
than  to  their  true  cause.  If  only  Louis  could  be  induced 
to  reform  his  ways  and  lead  a virtuous  life,  all  would 
be  well  : the  King’s  enemies  would  submit,  peace  would 
be  restored,  trade  and  agriculture  would  revive,  and  the 
country  become  prosperous  and  happy  once  more.  But 
how  was  this  to  be  brought  about  ? The  King’s  confessor 
had  remonstrated  so  far  as  he  dared,  Bourdaloue,  Bossuet, 
and  Mascaron 1 had  preached  some  very  outspoken 
sermons,  but  Madame  de  Montespan’s  empire  still  re- 
mained unshaken.  Why  not  assail  the  monarch  on  the 

bought  it  herself,  partly  with  a sum  of  money  given  her  a few  months 
before  by  the  King  in  recognition  of  her  services  to  his  children,  and 
partly  with  her  own  savings.  On  her  death,  Maintenon  passed  into  the 
possession  of  the  Noaillcs  family,  to  whom  it  still  belongs. 

1 In  1669,  Mascaron  had  drawn  upon  himself  rebuke  and  temporary 
disgrace  by  a bold  sermon  on  the  observance  of  the  Seventh  Command- 
ment. Six  years  later,  he  appears  to  have  again  incurred  the  royal 
displeasure  by  attacking  another  of  Louis  XIV. ’s  weaknesses — desire  for 

171 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


side  which  he  had  himself  weakened  ? Why  not  try  what 
effects  moral  sentiments  in  the  mouth  of  a pretty  woman 
might  have  ? Madame  de  Maintenon,  though  verging  on 
forty,  still  retained  much  of  her  early  beauty,  the  sincerity 
of  her  religious  convictions  was  beyond  dispute,  her  con- 
demnation of  unchastity  notorious.  Where  would  it  be 
possible  to  find  any  one  better  qualified  to  play  the  role  of 
female  missionary  and  wean  Louis  from  the  arms  of  the 
syren  who  had  so  long  bewitched  him  into  those  of 
Mother  Church  ? Who  first  suggested  this  project  to 
Madame  de  Maintenon  we  cannot  tell  ; but  certain  it  is 
that  the  proposal,  strongly  appealing  as  it  did  to  both 
sides  of  her  character,  met  with  a very  favourable  recep- 
tion, and  that  before  she  had  been  many  months  at  Court 
she  found  herself  definitely  committed  to  the  task  of 
saving  the  King’s  soul — and  making  her  own  fortune. 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  Madame  de  Maintenon 
deliberately  set  herself  to  undermine  the  position  of  the 
woman  to  whom  she  owed  so  much — the  woman  concern- 
ing whom  she  had  written  to  the  Abbe  Gobelin,  “My 
obligations  to  Madame  de  Montespan  hinder  me  from 
saying  anything  against  her  ” — without  experiencing  some 
qualms  of  conscience.  But,  with  that  remarkable  skill  for 
reconciling  contradictions  which  is,  perhaps,  the  most 
interesting  trait  in  her  character,  she  had  devised  a sure 
and  certain  way  of  quieting  any  scruples  that  might  be 
likely  to  trouble  her  and  shielding  herself  against  the 
reproaches  of  her  benefactress. 

military  glory.  “ I performed  my  devotions  to-day,”  writes  Madame 
de  Maintenon  to  the  Abbe  Gobelin  (March  3,  1675),  “ and  heard  a fine 
sermon  from  P£re  Mascaron.  He  expressed  himself  rather  too  warmly 
on  the  subject  of  conquerors,  and  told  us  that  a hero  was  a robber,  who 
did  at  the  head  of  an  army  what  thieves  did  alone.  Our  master  (the 
King)  was  displeased  at  what  he  said.” 

172 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


She  would  begin,  she  resolved,  by  warning  the 
marchioness  of  the  error  of  her  ways  and  solemnly 
adjuring  her  to  repent  and  lead  a godly  life.  If  her 
appeal  were  successful,  well  and  good  ; if  not,  she  would 
have  done  all  that  loyal  friendship  and  Christian  charity 
had  the  right  to  expect  from  her,  and  would  be  free  to 
speak  to  the  King  when  occasion  offered.  She  would, 
doubtless,  be  accused  of  ingratitude,  of  duplicity,  of 
ambition,  but  the  armour  of  religious  zeal  would,  she 
felt  confident,  be  proof  against  all  such  insinuations. 

An  opportunity  to  say  a word  in  season  to  her  erring 
sister  was  not  long  in  forthcoming. 

The  favourite  used  sometimes  to  go  to  Paris  and  spend 
a few  days  in  her  house  in  the  Rue  de  Vaugirard,  on 
which  occasions  Madame  de  Maintenon  generally  accom- 
panied her.  Languet  de  Gergy  relates  that  during  one 
of  these  visits  the  two  ladies  were  out  walking  together, 
when  Madame  de  Montespan  entered  a church  and, 
after  reciting  some  prayers,  approached  the  confessional. 
“ Madame  de  Maintenon,”  continues  the  chronicler, 
“ was  transported  with  joy.  ‘ There,’  said  she  to  herself, 
‘ is  the  door  of  conversion  standing  open.’  On  leaving 
the  confessional,  Madame  de  Montespan  heard  mass  and 
communicated,  and  Madame  de  Maintenon  had  no  doubt 
whatever  that  her  conversion  was  sincere  and  that  she 
had  given  the  confessor  convincing  assurances  of  her 
changed  disposition.  But  what  was  her  astonishment 
when,  on  returning  to  the  house,  she  beheld  Madame  de 
Montespan  making  preparations  for  her  return  to  Court  ! 
Thereupon,  unable  to  restrain  her  zeal,  she  said  to  her, 

‘ What ! are  you  going,  Madame,  straight  from  com- 
municating to  deliberately  throw  yourself  into  certain 
danger  of  offending  God  ! ’ Madame  de  Montespan 

i73 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


wept  a great  deal,  but  her  tears  were  those  of  weakness, 
not  of  penance.”  1 

After  this  incident,  Madame  de  Maintenon  evidently 
considered  herself  at  liberty  to  speak  to  the  King.  She 
has  herself  related  the  manner  inwhich  she  first  approached 
his  Majesty  on  this  very  delicate  subject : — 

“ When  I found  myself  sufficiently  established  in  the 
King’s  favour  to  speak  freely  to  him,  I had  the  honour, 
on  a certain  Apartment-day,2  to  promenade  with  him, 
while  the  others  were  occupied  with  cards  and  various 
amusements.  As  soon  as  I was  out  of  earshot  of  the  rest,  I 
said  to  him  : ‘ Sire,  you  are  very  fond  of  your  Musketeers  ; 
they  give  you  a great  deal  of  occupation  and  amusement 
every  day.  What  would  you  do  if  some  one  were  to  tell 
you  that  one  of  those  Musketeers  of  whom  you  are  so 
fond  had  carried  off  another  man’s  wife  and  was  actually 
living  with  her  ? I am  sure  that  this  very  evening  he 
would  leave  the  Hotel  des  Mousquetaires  and  would  not 
be  allowed  to  sleep  there,  however  late  it  was.’  ” “ The 

King,”  adds  Mademoiselle  d’Aumale,  “ took  her  remon- 
strance in  very  good  part,  laughed  a little,  said  that  she 
was  right,  but  it  did  not  have  any  effect  upon  him  at  the 
time.” 

It  seems  not  improbable  that  Louis  XIV.  informed  his 
mistress  of  what  the  gouvernante  had  said  to  him,  for  soon 
afterwards  we  find  Madame  de  Maintenon  writing  to  the 
Abbe  Gobelin  : “ Terrible  scenes  are  taking  place  between 

1 Languet  de  Gergy’s  Memoires  sur  Madame  de  Maintenon,  p.  167. 

* Three  times  a week,  from  six  till  ten  o’clock  in  the  evening,  the 
King’s  apartments  were  thrown  open  to  the  whole  Court.  These  days 
were  called  “ Apartment-days.”  Etiquette  was  to  a large  extent  laid 
aside  on  these  occasions  ; the  King,  for  the  time  being,  became  a private 
individual,  and  every  one  was  at  liberty  to  amuse  themselves  as  they 
pleased,  with  cards,  music,  or  conversation. 

J74 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

Madame  de  Montespan  and  myself.  Yesterday  the  King 
was  a witness  of  them.” 

The  King  had,  indeed,  surprised  the  two  ladies  “ in  a 
crisis  the  most  violent  that  could  be  imagined,”  hot  with 
the  ardour  of  battle,  almost,  in  fact,  on  the  point  of  blows, 
and  had  inquired  what  was  the  matter.  Madame  de 
Maintenon  recovered  her  calm  on  the  instant,  curtseyed, 
and  answered,  “ If  your  Majesty  will  be  pleased  to  pass 
into  the  next  room,  I shall  do  myself  the  honour  of 
telling  you.”  Louis  did  as  she  requested  ; Madame  de 
Maintenon  followed  him ; Madame  de  Montespan, 
choking  with  rage,  allowed  them  to  go.  The  gouvernante 
then  unbosomed  herself  to  the  King,  declared  that  the 
injustice,  harshness  and  cruelty  of  Madame  de  Montespan 
were  more  than  she  could  bear,  and  that  she  must  crave 
his  permission  to  resign  her  post  and  retire  from  Court. 
The  monarch,  in  great  alarm  at  the  prospect  of  losing 
so  admirable  a guardian  for  his  children  and  a lady 
in  whose  conversation  he  had  begun  to  take  so  lively 
a pleasure,  endeavoured  to  make  excuses  for  his  mistress, 
asserted  that  Madame  de  Maintenon  was  mistaken  in  sup- 
posing her  to  be  intentionally  unjust,  and  added,  “ Have 
you  not  often  perceived  how  her  beautiful  eyes  fill  with 
tears  when  she  hears  of  a touching  and  generous  action  ? ” 
Finally,  Madame  de  Maintenon,  who,  of  course,  had  not 
the  least  intention  of  being  taken  at  her  word,  and, 
perhaps,  saw  in  the  remark  about  the  “beautiful  eyes” 
a delicate  hint  that  the  corn  was  not  yet  ripe  for  the 
sickle,  magnanimously  consented  to  remain,  but,  at  the 
same  time,  contrived  to  let  the  King  see  that  it  was  solely 
out  of  deference  to  his  wishes  that  she  was  willing  to 
overlook  the  conduct  of  Madame  de  Montespan.1 

1 Souvenirs  de  Madame  de  Cay/us  (edit.  1889),  p.  61. 

1 75 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Madame  de  Maintenon’s  hopes  rose  high  when,  at 
the  following  Easter,  Madame  de  Montespan  received 
orders  to  retire  from  Court,  though,  doubtless,  she 
would  have  been  better  pleased  if  the  credit  of  the 
favourite’s  discomfiture  had  belonged  to  her  instead  of 
to  Bossuet.  However,  she  was  too  sincere  in  her  desire 
for  the  King’s  salvation  not  to  do  what  she  could  to 
second  the  bishop’s  efforts ; and,  accordingly,  we  find  her 
writing  to  the  Abbe  Gobelin:  “You  will  hear  it  said 
that  I saw  the  King  yesterday ; fear  nothing ; I consider 
that  I spoke  to  him  as  a Christian  and  a true  friend  of 
Madame  de  Montespan.”  1 

When  this  letter  was  written,  Madame  de  Maintenon 
was  on  the  point  of  starting  for  Bareges,  in  the  Pyrenees, 
in  charge  of  the  little  Due  du  Maine,  who,  it  was  hoped, 
might  benefit  by  a course  of  the  waters.  Their  journey 
presented  a curious  contrast  to  that  of  the  previous  year 
to  Antwerp.  Then,  they  had  travelled  incognito  ; now, 
it  resembled  a royal  progress.  “ The  King  himself  could 
not  have  been  better  received,”  writes  the  gouvernante  to 
Madame  de  Montespan  ; “ everywhere  honours  and  end- 
less acclamations.  You  would  have  been  enchanted, 
Madame,  and  you  cannot  conceive  the  lengths  to  which 
the  love  of  this  people  for  their  King,  and  all  that  belongs 
to  him,  carries  them.”  2 

In  the  face  of  the  abject  servility  to  the  throne  which 
characterised  all  classes  at  this  period,  it  was,  indeed, 
hardly  to  be  expected  that  any  nice  distinctions  would 
be  drawn  between  the  legitimate  and  the  legitimated 
offspring  of  Jupiter ; and  in  every  town  through  which 
they  passed  the  travellers  were  greeted  with  the  utmost 

1 Correspondance  generate  de  Madame  de  Maintenon,  i.  268. 

2 Ibid.,  i.  278. 


176 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


enthusiasm.  At  Poitiers,  they  were  “ nearly  stifled  with 
caresses.”  At  Cognac,  the  government  of  which  Madame 
de  Maintenon  had  lately  obtained  for  her  shiftless  and 
pretentious  brother,  Charles  d’Aubign£,  a company  of 
little  boys,  armed  and  uniformed  like  the  Musketeers, 
came  out  to  meet  them,  and  formed  themselves  into  a 
guard  of  honour  for  the  little  duke,  much  to  the  delight 
of  the  latter.  At  Blaye,  the  Due  de  Saint-Simon  1 gave 
them  “ a magnificent  reception,”  and  the  aldermen  of 
Bordeaux  came,  bringing  with  them  a splendid  barge, 
propelled  by  forty  oars.  In  this,  the  Due  du  Maine,  his 
gouvernante , and  their  suite  embarked,  and  proceeded 
down  the  Garonne  to  the  city,  were  they  were  welcomed 
with  trumpets,  violins,  discharges  of  cannon,  and  cries  of 
“ Vive  le  Roi  J ” from  the  multitudes  which  lined  the  banks. 
On  landing,  they  were  received  by  Marechal  d’Albret,  the 
Governor  of  Guienne ; and  the  municipal  authorities 
presented  an  address,  for  which  the  little  Duke  returned 
thanks  in  person.  This  ceremony  over,  they  entered  a 
carriage,  and,  followed  by  a long  stream  of  others,  pro- 
ceeded at  a walking  pace,  through  cheering  crowds,  to 
the  house  which  had  been  prepared  for  their  reception.2 
No  wonder  Louis  XIV.  felt  that  he  was  not  as  other 
men  when  such  honours  were  paid  to  the  fruit  of  his 
irregularities  ! 

While  in  the  Pyrenees,  Madame  de  Maintenon,  under 
the  pretext  of  allaying  the  King’s  anxiety  in  regard  to  his 
little  son’s  health,  wrote  “ full  and  frequent  ” letters  to 
his  Majesty,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  these 
epistles,  which  the  first  Napoleon  greatly  preferred  to 

1 The  father  of  the  author  of  the  famous  M e moires,  who  was  born  on 
January  I 5 of  that  same  year. 

3 Correspondance  gentrale  de  Madame  de  Maintenon , i.  276. 

177 


M 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


those  of  Madame  de  Sevigne,1  exercised  no  inconsiderable 
influence  upon  the  lady’s  fortunes,  and,  as  her  biographer, 
the  Due  de  Noailles,  remarks,  “ended  by  entirely  gaining 
for  her  the  confidence  and  friendship  of  the  monarch.”  2, 
Madame  de  Maintenon’s  return  was  awaited  with 
impatience  by  the  Court ; for  it  would  appear  that  the 
antagonism  between  her  and  the  favourite  was  now  an 
open  secret,  and  that  it  was  the  general  opinion  in  well- 
informed  circles  that  highly  interesting  developments 
might  be  looked  for  in  the  near  future.  “ I must  give 
you  a little  peep  behind  the  scenes  that  will  surprise 
you,”  writes  Madame  de  Sevign6  to  her  daughter.  “ The 
perfect  friendship  between  Quantova  3 and  her  travelling 
friend  (Madame  de  Maintenon)  has  been  converted  for 
the  past  two  years  into  the  most  inveterate  enmity.  It 
is  an  acrimony,  an  antipathy,  like  that  between  black  and 
white.  You  ask  whence  it  proceeds?  From  the  friend’s 
pride,  which  makes  her  revolt  against  the  orders  of 
Quanto.  She  does  not  love  to  obey ; she  is  willing  to 
comply  with  the  wishes  of  the  father  (the  King),  but  not 

1 Nisard,  in  his  Histoire  de  la  Litterature  Fran^aise,  says  that  Napoleon 
compared  the  letters  of  Madame  de  Sevigne  to  “ snow  eggs,  with  which 
a man  could  surfeit  himself  without  overloading  his  stomach.” 

2 Histoire  de  Madame  de  Maintenon , i.  505. 

3 The  names  Quantova  or  Quanto,  generally  the  latter,  employed  so 
frequently  by  Madame  de  Sevigne  to  indicate  Madame  de  Montespan, 
are,  according  to  a writer  in  V Intermediaire  des  Chercheurs  et  Gurieux 
(vol.  xviii.  p.  488),  in  allusion  to  the  favourite’s  passion  for  play  and  to 
her  habit  of  demanding  in  Italian,  “Quanto?”  (How  much  do  you 
stake  ?).  The  custom  of  giving  sobriquets  known  only  to  the  parties 
interested  had,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  passed  from  diplomatic  to 
private  correspondence,  the  object  being  to  baffle  indiscreet  curiosity. 
The  surnames  or  sobriquets  employed  by  Madame  de  Sevigne  had  been 
invented  by  her  and  her  correspondents,  and  were,  of  course,  only  used 
by  them,  since  they  alone  held  the  key. 

1 78 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


with  those  of  the  mother.  It  is  to  oblige  him  that  she 
has  undertaken  this  journey,  and  not  in  the  least  to 
gratify  her.”1 

The  gouvernante  and  her  charge  arrived  at  Versailles 
at  the  beginning  of  November.  Their  visit  to  the 
Pyrenees  had  been  so  far  successful  that  the  little  duke, 
though  he  was  still  very  lame,  and,  indeed,  continued  so 
to  the  end  of  his  life,  was  now  able  to  walk  without 
assistance.  The  King  was  greatly  delighted,  and  expressed 
his  sense  of  the  obligation  under  which  Madame  de 
Maintenon  had  placed  him  so  very  warmly  that  Louvois, 
who  had  hitherto  scarcely  deigned  to  notice  her  exist- 
ence, thought  it  incumbent  upon  him  to  pay  her  a visit 
of  congratulation ; while  when  she  went  to  sup  with 
Madame  de  Richelieu  that  evening,  she  found  herself 
treated  with  the  most  extraordinary  deference  by  the 
ladies  who  were  present,  “ some  kissing  her  hands  and 
others  her  gown,”  if  Madame  de  Sevigne  was  correctly 
informed.2 

Not  long  after  her  return,  a little  incident  occurred 
which  still  further  strengthened  the  growing  conviction 
that  a new  star  had  arisen  in  the  sky  of  Versailles.  One 
day,  in  the  presence  of  a number  of  people,  Louis  XIV. 
happened  to  ask  Madame  de  Maintenon  what  was  her 
favourite  opera.  “ Atys ,”3  was  the  reply.  “ Atys  is  too 
happy  ! ” rejoined  the  King,  quoting  a line  from  the 
opera  in  question,  but  in  a tone  which  caused  the  courtiers 
standing  by  to  exchange  meaning  smiles.4 

1 Letter  of  August  7,  1675. 

2 Letter  of  November  10,  1675. 

3 An  opera  by  Quinault  and  Lulli,  the  Gilbert  and  Sullivan  of  that 
day.  They  collaborated  in  a number  of  operas. 

4 The  Due  de  Noailles’s  Histoire  de  Madame  de  Maintenon,  i.  513. 


179 


CHAPTER  XIII 


The  Queen  and  Madame  de  Montespan  visit  Louise  de  La 
Valliere  at  the  Carmelites — Madame  de  Montespan’s  conversa- 
tion with  La  Valliere — Madame  de  Montespan  goes  to  Bourbon 
— Honours  paid  her  on  the  journey — Servility  of  Louise’s 
brother,  the  Marquis  de  La  Valliere — M.  Morant’s  barge — 
Meeting  between  the  King  and  Madame  de  Montespan  at 
Saint-Germain — The  favourite’s  position  appears  invulnerable 
— “ A scent  of  fresh  game  in  the  land  of  Quanto  ” — Madame  de 
Soubise — Scandalous  conduct  of  the  King — “ The  star  of 
Quanto  begins  to  wane  ” — Madame  de  Ludres  a pretender  to 
the  royal  heart — Her  adventure  with  Charles  IV.  of  Lorraine 
— The  sovereignty  of  Versailles  trembling  in  the  balance — 
Birth  of  Mademoiselle  de  Blois — Madame  de  Ludres  is 
discarded — And  cruelly  humiliated  by  her  triumphant  rival — 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  favour  apparently  more  firmly  estab- 
lished than  ever — Madame  de  Maintenon  again  takes  the 
Due  du  Maine  to  the  Pyrenees — Letters  of  the  Due  du  Maine 
to  Madame  de  Montespan — The  Court  accompanies  the  King 
to  Lorraine— Louis  XIV.  enters  Flanders — Taking  of  Ghent 
— Madame  de  Montespan  visits  the  King  at  Oudenarde — 
Birth  of  the  Comte  de  Toulouse — Diplomatic  illness  of  Pere 
de  La  Chaise — Louis  XIV.  refused  absolution. 

The  year  1676  was  almost  as  fertile  in  incident  as  its 
predecessor.  In  the  middle  of  April,  Louis  XIV.  left 
Versailles  to  join  the  army,  and,  a few  days  later,  Madame 
de  Montespan  started  for  Bourbon  for  a course  of  the 
waters.  Before  doing  so,  however,  she  paid  two  visits 
to  the  Carmelites  in  company  with  the  Queen,  who  had 

180 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


apparently  forgiven  the  favourite  for  the  deception  she 
had  practised  upon  her  the  previous  year.  Madame  de 
S6vigne  has  left  us  an  interesting  account  of  one  of  these 
visits : — 

“ Quanto  set  on  foot  a lottery  and  collected  everything 
that  could  be  useful  to  the  nuns.  This  caused  great 
amusement  in  the  community.  She  conversed  a long 
time  with  Sceur  Louise  de  la  Misericorde  (Madame  de 
La  Valliere),  and  asked  her  whether  she  was  as  happy  there 
as  was  generally  reported.  ‘No,’  replied  she,  ‘I  am 
not  happy,  but  I am  contented.’  Quanto  talked  to  her 
a good  deal  of  the  brother  of  Monsieur  (the  King),  and 
inquired  if  she  had  no  message  to  send  him  and  what  she 
should  say  to  him  for  her.  The  other,  in  the  sweetest 
tone  and  manner  possible,  though  perhaps  a little  piqued 
at  the  question,  replied,  ‘ Whatever  you  please,  Madame, 
whatever  you  please.’  Fancy  this  to  be  expressed  with 
all  the  grace,  spirit,  and  modesty  which  you  can  imagine. 
Quanto  afterwards  wished  for  something  to  eat,  and  gave 
a four-pistole  piece  (about  forty  livres)  to  purchase  the 
ingredients  for  a sauce,  which  she  made  herself,  and 
ate  with  a wonderful  appetite.  I tell  you  the  simple  fact 
without  the  least  embellishment.”  1 

Madame  de  Montespan’s  journey  to  Bourbon  was 
almost  as  triumphant  as  that  of  her  son  to  Bareges  twelve 
months  before.  She  had  a coach-and-six  for  herself, 
another  for  her  waiting-women,  two  fourgons , six  mules, 
and  ten  or  twelve  servants  on  horseback.  In  all,  her 
suite  consisted  of  forty-five  persons,  exclusive  of  the  royal 
guards  who  invariably  escorted  her  on  these  occasions. 
What  must  have  been  the  feelings  of  the  ragged,  starving 
peasants  who  had  been  requisitioned  by  the  authorities 

1 Madame  de  Sevigne  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  April  29,  1676. 

181 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


of  the  various  districts  to  repair  the  roads  along  which 
she  was  to  pass,  as  the  haughty  favourite  and  her  entourage 
swept  by  ? At  every  town  and  village  at  which  she 
stopped  the  utmost  deference  was  paid  her,  and  every  day 
a courier  from  the  army  brought  her  a letter  from  the 
King.  When  she  reached  Bourbon,  she  found  that  the 
Marquis  de  La  Valliere  (the  brother  of  Louise)  had  given 
orders  for  addresses  to  be  presented  to  her  by  all  the 
towns  within  his  jurisdiction  ! The  marchioness,  how- 
ever, had  the  good  taste  to  decline  this  compliment,  and 
the  servile  La  Valliere  was  compelled  to  countermand  the 
order. 

During  her  stay,  which  lasted  about  a month,  the 
favourite,  always  lavishly  generous,  distributed  large 
sums  of  money  in  charity,  presented  the  hospital  with 
twelve  beds,  and  enriched  the  Capuchin  convent  in  the 
town.  She  also  “ received  visitors  with  courtesy,”  among 
them  Madame  Fouquet,  the  wife  of  the  disgraced  surin- 
tendant,  who  came  to  implore  her  good  offices  to  obtain 
her  husband’s  release  or,  if  that  were  not  possible,  per- 
mission to  share  his  imprisonment. 

At  the  beginning  of  June,  Madame  de  Montespan  set 
out  for  Fontevrault,  where  she  intended  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  the  time  until  the  King’s  return  with  her 
sister,  the  abbess.  As  her  journey  for  the  greater  part  of 
the  distance  was  to  be  by  water — along  the  Allier  from 
Moulins  to  Nevers  and  thence  by  the  Loire  to  Tours— 
the  Intendant,  M.Morant,  obligingly  provided  a gorgeous 
barge,  “ upholstered  in  crimson  damask,  and  decorated 
with  a thousand  monograms  and  pennants  of  France  and 
Navarre.”  This  little  attention  is  believed  to  have  cost 
the  gallant  Intendant  at  least  a thousand  crowns;  but,  as 
the  favourite  wrote  a most  enthusiastic  description  of 

182 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

it  to  the  King,  it  no  doubt  proved  a judicious  invest- 
ment. 

Louis  XIV.  and  the  marchioness  both  reached  Saint- 
Germain,  where  the  Court  then  was,  on  the  same  day 
(July  8),  and  it  at  once  became  apparent  that  absence 
had  not  diminished  the  King’s  passion  for  his  mistress. 
“ The  friend  of  Quanto  arrived  about  an  hour  before 
Quanto , and  while  he  was  conversing  with  his  family,  word 
was  brought  him  of  her  return.  He  ran  to  meet  her 
with  great  precipitation,  and  remained  with  her  a con- 
siderable time.  The  whole  evening  was  dedicated  to  pure 
and  simple  friendship.  The  friend’s  wife  (the  Queen) 
has  wept  bitterly.” 1 For  once  poor  Maria  Theresa’s 
fortitude  had  forsaken  her.2 

The  weeks  went  by,  and  the  favourite  appeared  invul- 
nerable. “ Never  was  the  sovereign  power  of  Quanto  so 
firmly  established,”  writes  Madame  de  Sevign£.  “She 
feels  herself  superior  to  all  opposition,  and  has  no  more 
fear  of  her  little  sluts  of  nieces  3 than  if  they  had  been 
turned  to  charcoal.  She  appears  entirely  delivered  from 
the  fear  of  shutting  up  the  wolf  in  the  sheepfold.  Her 
beauty  is  extraordinary,  her  dress  equal  to  her  beauty, 
and  her  gaiety  to  her  dress.” 4 

But  what  is  this  ? A fortnight  later,  Madame  de 
Sevigne  writes  again,  and  now  she  has  a different  tale  to 

1 Madame  de  Sdvigne  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  July  io,  1676. 

2 The  Queen  was  not  the  only  person  who  viewed  his  Majesty’s 
conduct  with  displeasure,  for  the  next  day  Madame  de  Maintenon  wrote 
to  her  confessor  : “Yesterday  I had  a violent  headache  and  feel  quite 
prostrated.” 

3 The  daughters  of  Madame  de  Thianges,  with  one  of  whom  it  was 
reported  that  Louis  XIV.  was  in  love.  The  elder  married  the  Due  de 
Nevers  and  the  younger  an  Italian  nobleman,  the  Duke  Sforza. 

4 Letter  of  August  7,  1676. 


'83 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


tell.  “ There  is  a scent  of  fresh  game  in  the  land  of 
Quanto,  but  no  one  can  tell  exactly  where.  The  lady 
whom  I have  mentioned  to  you  has  been  named  ; but,  as 
the  people  of  this  country  are  esteemed  deep  politicians, 
perhaps  it  is  not  there  either.  One  thing,  however,  is 
certain,  namely,  that  the  gallant  (the  King)  is  gay  and 
quite  himself,  and  the  demoiselle  (Madame  de  Montespan) 
sad,  embarrassed,  and  sometimes  tearful.”  1 

The  “ fresh  game  ” in  question  was  Anne  de  Rohan, 
Princesse  de  Soubise,  dame  du  -palais  to  the  Queen,  very 
beautiful,  very  discreet,  and  very  greedy.  She  loved  the 
King  out  of  love  for  her  husband,  a very  complaisant 
old  gentleman  indeed,  nearly  forty  years  her  senior, 
who,  unlike  the  poor  Marquis  de  Montespan,  had  not 
the  smallest  objection  to  share  with  Jupiter,  so  long  as 
Jupiter  was  prepared  to  make  it  worth  his  while.  He 
was  rarely  seen  at  Court,  was  wholly  occupied  in  the 
management  of  his  estates,  and  never  appeared  to  enter- 
tain the  slightest  suspicion  of  his  wife’s  infidelity.  After 
collecting  for  him  all  the  honours,  dignities,  and  hard 
cash  she  could  lay  her  hands  on,  Madame  de  Soubise, 
her  object  accomplished,  retired  from  the  field,  though, 
if  Saint-Simon  is  to  be  believed,  there  were  occasional 
returns  to  favour,  extending  over  a period  of  several 
years. 

Thanks  to  the  discretion  of  the  Princess  and  the  com- 
plaisance of  her  friend,  the  Marechale  de  Rochefort,  “ a 
lady,”  says  Saint-Simon,  “of  experience  in  this  metier” 
who  obligingly  permitted  her  apartments  to  be  used  as 
a rendezvous,  this  affair  was  never  more  than  suspected 
at  the  time,  and  on  September  2 we  find  the  omniscient 
Madame  de  Sevigne  writing  again  : “ The  vision  of 

1 Letter  of  August  24,  1676. 

184 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Madame  de  Soubise  has  passed  quicker  than  a lightning- 
flash  ; they  have  made  it  all  up  again.  I am  told  that 
the  other  day  at  cards  Quanto  had  her  head  resting 
familiarly  on  her  friend’s  (the  King)  shoulder,  and  it  was 
believed  that  this  affectation  meant  * I am  higher  in  favour 
than  ever.’  ” 

The  conduct  of  his  Most  Christian  Majesty  at  this 
juncture  must  have  afforded  a highly  interesting  study 
for  the  moralist.  He  had  evidently  reassured  Madame 
de  Montespan  that  she  alone  possessed  his  heart,  while 
he  would  appear  to  have  been  taking  every  day  a keener 
pleasure  in  the  society  of  Madame  de  Maintenon,  who 
had  lately  returned  from  a three  weeks  sojourn  at  her 
chateau,  whither  the  King  had  despatched  Le  Notre  to 
lay  out  the  gardens,  and  “ whose  favour  was  extreme.” 
At  the  same  time,  he  was  carrying  on  his  intrigue  with 
Madame  de  Soubise,  and  it  was  darkly  hinted  that  he 
had  relations  which  were  rather  more  than  friendly  with 
two  other  young  beauties,  Madame  de  Louvigny  1 and 
Mademoiselle  de  Rochefort-Theobon.2 

Madame  de  Montespan  was  soon  undeceived.  “The 
star  of  Quanto  begins  to  wane,”  writes  Madame  de 
Sevigne  on  September  1 1 ; “ there  are  nothing  but  tears, 
unfeigned  vexation,  affected  cheerfulness,  sulks  ; at  last, 
ma  chere,  it  is  all  over.  Every  one  is  now  upon  the 
watch,  conjecturing  and  divining,  and  faces  are  thought 
to  shine  like  stars  that,  but  a month  ago,  were  deemed 
unworthy  to  be  compared  with  others.  But  the  cards 
go  merrily  on,  while  the  fair  one  keeps  to  her  apartments. 
Some  tremble,  others  rejoice,  some  wish  things  to  remain 

1 Marie  Charlotte  de  Castelnau,  Comtesse  de  Louvigny.  Her 
husband  afterwards  became  Due  de  Gramont. 

2 Lydie  de  Rochefort-Theobon,  afterwards  Comtesse  de  Beuvron. 

185 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


as  they  are,  the  majority  desire  a dramatic  change  ; in 
a word,  we  are  all  eyes  and  ears  for  what  the  most  clear- 
sighted report.”  And  on  the  30th  of  the  same  month  : 
“ Every  one  believes  that  the  friend  (the  King)  loves 
her  no  longer,  and  that  Quanto  is  embarrassed  between 
the  consequences  which  might  follow  the  return  of 
favours  and  the  danger  of  no  longer  enjoying  them — 
the  fear  that  they  are  being  sought  in  some  other  quarter. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  role  of  friend  does  not  content 
her  ; so  much  beauty  as  she  still  has  and  so  much  pride 
are  not  easily  relegated  to  the  second  place.  Jealousies 
are  keen.  Have  they  ever  stopped  anything  ? ” Then, 
on  October  15:  “ Had  Quanto  retired  into  private  life 
at  Easter  the  year  she  returned  to  Paris,  she  would  have 
been  spared  the  mortification  which  she  now  endures  ; 
it  would  have  been  sensible  to  adopt  that  course  ; but 
human  weakness  is  great ; one  wishes  to  make  the  most 
of  one’s  beauty,  and  this  economy  brings  ruin  rather  than 
riches.” 

At  the  beginning  of  the  following  year  a new  and  very 
formidable  pretender  to  the  royal  heart  appeared  upon 
the  scene.  This  was  a certain  Isabelle  de  Ludres,  a lady 
from  Lorraine,  fille  d'honneur  to  the  Princess  Palatine, 
the  second  Madame.  Her  contemporaries  describe  her 
as  a very  beautiful  woman  and  very  witty,  but  with  a 
disagreeable  voice  and  a strong  German  accent.1  When 
she  was  quite  a young  girl  she  had  attracted  the  notice 
of  the  susceptible  Charles  IV.,  Duke  of  Lorraine,  who 
fell  so  madly  in  love  with  her  that  he  sent  away  his 
mistress,  Beatrix  de  Cusance,  who  died  of  grief  shortly 

1 Madame  de  Sevign6  relates  how,  when  taking  a sea-bath  for  the 
first  time,  the  lady  cried  out,  “ Oh,  Matame  te  Grignan,  Pttranze  sose 
t 'it re  xettee  toute  nue  dans  la  mer  1 ” 

1 86 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


afterwards,  and  determined  to  make  her  his  duchess. 
However,  before  the  date  fixed  for  the  nuptials  he  trans- 
ferred his  affections  to  another  damsel,  a Mademoiselle 
de  Nanteuil,  and  announced  his  intention  of  espousing 
her  instead.  The  fair  Isabelle,  who  had  a number  of 
very  passionate  letters  from  the  duke  in  her  possession, 
and  was  by  no  means  inclined  to  surrender  the  crown 
matrimonial  without  a struggle,  prepared  to  oppose  the 
marriage  ; but,  on  being  threatened  with  a prosecution 
for  lese  majesty  a capital  offence  in  those  days,  thought 
better  of  it  and  resolved  to  try  her  fortune  at  the  French 
Court,  where  she  made  a number  of  conquests,  including 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  brother,  the  Due  de  Vivonne, 
the  Chevalier  de  Vendome,  and  the  young  Marquis  de 
Sevign6,  and,  finally,  Louis  XIV.  himself. 

The  progress  of  this  affair  was  interrupted  by  the 
King’s  departure  for  the  army  at  the  end  of  February ; 
but  his  Majesty  had  paid  the  lady  such  very  marked 
attention  that  Bussy-Rabutin  wrote  to  his  friend,  President 
Brulart,  that  it  was  the  general  opinion  that  Madame 1 
de  Ludres  was  about  to  become  maitresse  en  titre.  The 
excitement  at  Court  as  the  time  for  Louis’s  return  drew 
near  was  almost  painful  in  its  intensity  ; the  war  was 
entirely  forgotten ; nothing  else  was  talked  of  but  the 

1 Though  unmarried,  she  was  styled  Madame,  in  virtue  of  a canonry 
which  she  held  in  Lorraine.  When  she  became  the  King’s  mistress,  a 
wit  wrote  : 

“La  Valliere  6toit  du  commun, 

La  Montespan  de  la  noblesse, 

La  Ludre  £toit  chanoinesse. 

Toutes  trois  ne  sont  que  pour  un  : 

C’est  le  plus  grand  des  potentats 
Qui  veut  assemble  les  £tats.” 

— Manuscrit  Maurepas,\v . 57. 


.87 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


prospects  of  the  rival  mistresses.  Who  could  find  time 
to  think  about  the  fate  of  Europe  when  the  sovereignty 
of  Versailles  was  trembling  in  the  balance  ? 

The  stars  in  their  courses  fought  for  Madame  de 
Montespan.  When  the  monarch  arrived,  he  found  a 
fresh  pledge  of  the  marchioness’s  affection  awaiting  him 
in  the  shape  of  a little  daughter,  afterwards  Mademoiselle 
de  Blois ; 1 and  this  circumstance  probably  decided  the 
day  in  the  elder  woman’s  favour.  Anyhow,  Louis  fell  at 
his  old  mistress’s  feet  again,  and  Madame  de  Ludres  was 
discarded,  the  King  offering  her  the  sum  of  200,000  livres 
by  way  of  compensation  for  her  disappointment,  which, 
however,  was  declined. 

Finding  herself  restored  to  favour,  Madame  de  Monte- 
span turned  like  a Fury  upon  her  vanquished  rival  and 
overwhelmed  her  with  cruel  taunts  and  insults.  “ She 
would  like  to  strangle  her,”  writes  Bussy-Rabutin  to 
Madame  de  Montmorency,  “ and  makes  her  life  unbear- 
able.” From  another  source  we  learn  that,  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  King,  the  marchioness  invariably  alluded 
to  the  poor  woman  as  “that  rag,”  and  treated  her  so 
shamefully  that  at  length  she  resigned  her  post  as  fille 
d'honneur  to  Madame  and  retired  from  Court.  Four 

1 Born  at  Maintenon,  May  4,  1 677.  Madame  de  Montespan  had 
gone  thither  with  the  gouvernante  immediately  after  the  King’s  departure, 
in  order  to  hide  her  condition  from  the  inquisitive  eyes  of  the  Court, 
and  remained  there  until  within  a week  of  his  Majesty’s  return.  The 
two  ladies  would  appear  to  have  been  on  very  amicable  terms  at  this 
time,  their  hostility  to  Madame  de  Ludres  being  no  doubt  a bond  of 
sympathy  between  them.  Nevertheless,  Madame  de  Maintenon,  “who 
did  not  spare  exhortations  and  remonstrances,”  refused  to  undertake  the 
charge  of  the  future  Duchesse  d’Orleans,  who  was  accordingly  brought 
up  secretly  in  the  house  in  the  Rue  de  Vaugirard,  as  was  the  Comte  de 
Toulouse,  born  the  following  year. 

188 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


years  later,  she  accepted  from  Louis  a pension  of  2000 
crowns  and  a present  of  25,000  livres — “in  consideration 
of  her  services  ” ran  the  brevet — a proceeding  which 
seems  to  lend  colour  to  the  cynical  Bussy’s  insinuation 
that  her  refusal  of  the  royal  generosity  in  1677  was 
merely  a ruse  to  convince  his  Majesty  of  the  disinter- 
estedness of  her  affection  and  win  him  back. 

As  for  Madame  de  Montespan,  she  believed  herself  so 
secure  that  she  became  more  haughty  and  arrogant  than 
ever.  Never,  in  fact,  had  her  position  seemed  more 
unassailable,  never  had  the  King’s  passion  appeared  more 
ardent  than  after  this  infidelity.  “ Oh ! my  daughter, 
what  a triumph  at  Versailles!  What  redoubled  pride! 
What  a re-entry  into  possession!  I was  in  her  room  for 
an  hour.  She  was  lying  on  her  bed,  decked  out,  with  her 
hair  dressed,  resting  for  the  medianoche}  She  launched 
shafts  of  contempt  at  poor  Io  (Madame  de  Ludres),  and 
scoffed  at  her  having  had  the  audacity  to  complain  of 
her.  Imagine  all  that  an  ungenerous  pride  could  suggest 
to  her  in  her  hour  of  triumph,  and  you  will  not  be  far 
from  the  mark.” 1  2 Then : “ Quanto  and  her  friend  are 
together  longer  and  more  eagerly  than  ever.  The  ardour 
of  their  first  years  has  returned,  all  obstacles  are  banished, 
all  restraint  removed,  which  persuades  us  that  never  was 
empire  seen  more  firmly  established.”  And,  a little  later: 
“ Madame  de  Montespan  was  the  other  day  covered  with 
diamonds ; the  brilliance  of  so  blazing  a divinity  was 


1 A meat  supper  which  was  served  at  midnight  on  fast-days.  There 
appears  to  have  been  considerable  diversity  of  opinion  among  the  devout 
as  to  the  lawfulness  of  this  meal.  The  Abbe  Gobelin  allowed  Madame 
de  Maintenon  to  partake  of  it  ; the  Queen’s  confessor  strongly  disap- 
proved of  the  practice. 

1 Madame  de  Sevigne  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  June  11,  1 677. 

189 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


more  than  one  could  bear.  The  attachment  seems  stronger 
than  ever ; they  are  all  eyes  for  one  another ; never  has 
love  been  known  to  recover  its  ground  like  this.”1  It 
was  her  last  triumph,  dazzling  but  short-lived,  and 
destined  to  be  followed  by  years  of  bitter  anguish. 

Towards  the  end  of  June,  Madame  de  Maintenon 
again  took  the  Due  du  Maine  to  Bareges.  To  judge  by 
the  letters  she  wrote  to  the  Abbe  Gobelin  during  her 
absence,  she  was  evidently  in  a very  despondent  mood, 
desirous  of  abandoning  the  struggle  and  retiring  from 
Court.  “ It  is  impossible  for  me  to  sacrifice  my  life,  my 
liberty,  my  health,  and  my  salvation.”  “ I am  passing  my 
life  in  agitations  which  deprive  me  of  all  the  pleasures  of 
the  world  and  of  the  peace  which  is  necessary  to  serve 
God.”  “ I am  passionately  desirous  of  leaving  the  Court.” 
Whether  she  was  really  so  anxious  to  retire  from  the 
field  as  she  wished  her  confessor  to  believe  is  doubtful ; 
in  any  case,  the  latter  does  not  appear  to  have  had  much 
difficulty  in  persuading  her  to  remain,  but  then  it  was 
always  part  of  her  role  to  pose  as  a martyr. 

While  in  the  Pyrenees,  the  little  Due  du  Maine,  who 
was  a charming  and  affectionate  child,  kept  up  an  active 
correspondence  with  his  “ belle  Madame ,”  as  he  styles  his 
mother.  Madame  de  Montespan,  who,  to  give  her  her 
due,  loved  her  children  dearly,  could  have  little  dreamed 
as  she  read  these  letters  of  the  ingratitude  with  which 
in  after  years  the  writer  was  to  repay  the  care  and  tender- 
ness she  lavished  upon  him. 

1 Madame  de  S6vign£  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  July  2,  1677. 


190 


LOUIS  AUGUSTE  DE  BOURBON 
(Due  du  Maine) 

From  an  Engraving  after  the  Painting  by  Francois  de  Troy 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


The  Due  du  Maine. to  Madame  de  Montespan. 

“ June  1677. 

“ Ma  belle  Madame , — I do  not  cease  thinking  of  you 
during  the  journey.  If  you  could  but  know  how  I long 
to  come  to  you,  you  would  not  be  able  to  prevent  yourself 
from  sending  to  fetch  your  little  mignon  ; for  you  are  so 
kind  to  me  that  I ask  you  for  everything  that  I want. 
Adieu,  ma  belle  Madame , I love  you  with  all  my  heart.” 


The  Due  du  Maine  to  Madame  de  Montespan. 

“ Bareges,  1677. 

“ I am  very  delighted,  ma  belle  Madame , to  find  that 
you  remember  your  little  mignon.  You  know  how  fond 
I am  of  receiving  letters,  and  I am  delighted  to  have  one 
from  your  beautiful  hand,  and  all  full  of  caresses.  I am 
going  to  write  one  to  the  little  de  Rochefort,1  but  I have 
begun  by  writing  to  you,  because  my  heart  tells  me  many 
things  to  say  to  you.  I beg  you,  Madame,  to  see  that 
the  King  does  not  forget  the  mignon." 

The  Due  du  Maine  to  Madame  de  Montespan. 

“ I have  received  a letter  from  the  King  which  has 
transported  me  with  joy  ; it  is  the  most  condescending 
that  could  be  imagined.  I shall  not  do  as  you  did,  when, 
at  Maintenon,  you  burned  one  from  him.  Far  from 
doing  that,  I shall  keep  it  as  long  as  I live,  and  be  very 
proud  to  have  a letter  from  his  Majesty  in  my  desk. 
Adieu,  Madame,  I love  you  passionately.” 

1 Son  of  Marechale  de  Rochefort,  Madame  de  Soubise’s  obliging 
friend. 

191 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


The  Due  du  Maine  to  Madame  de  Montespan. 

“ For  a long  time,  Madame,  I have  longed  to  have  a 
little  timepiece,  like  the  one  you  have,  and  I should  like 
it  to  come  from  your  hand,  for  then  I shall  prize  it  a 
thousand  times  more.  If  you  could  send  it  in  a little 
parcel,  I should  be  delighted.  Believe,  Madame,  that 
my  heart  is  yours,  and  that  you  can  make  of  it  all  that 
you  please.” 

The  Due  du  Maine  to  Madame  de  Montespan. 

“ Although  the  King  has  done  me  the  honour  to  write 
to  me,  Madame,  I have  not  failed  to  read  your  letter  with 
very  great  pleasure.  I shall  strive  to  add  to  the  joy 
which  you  feel  in  regard  to  what  you  have  been  told 
about  me,  and  what  you  have  written  to  me  encourages  me 
to  do  well,  as  I desire  nothing  so  ardently  as  to  be  in 
your  good  graces.  For  the  rest,  I thank  you  very  humbly, 
ma  belle  Madame , for  your  kindness  to  my  nurse  ; she  is 
a woman  whom  I love  much. 

“ Madame  de  Maintenon  has  told  me  that  you  have 
brought  her  to  Fontainebleau  ; I am  very  pleased,  and  I 
beg  you  not  to  forsake  her.  I have  another  favour  to 
ask  you,  which  is  that  I may  not  wear  petticoats  any 
longer.” 

The  Due  du  Maine  to  Madame  de  Montespan. 

“ I was  very  pleased,  Madame,  at  receiving  your  time- 
piece, since  it  is  a proof  of  your  affection  and  kindness  to 
me  ; I was  so  delighted  all  the  morning  that  I could  not  eat 
any  breakfast.  My  affection  for  you,  Madame,  increases 
more  and  more  every  day,  and  I take  the  liberty  of  telling 

192 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


you  of  it  to  show  you  that  I am  not  ungrateful.  I beg 
you,  Madame,  to  tell  the  King  that  the  mignon  loves  him 
more  than  life.” 

The  Due  du  Maine  to  Madame  de  Montespan. 

“ I am  going  to  give  you  all  the  news  of  the  house  to 
amuse  you,  Madame,  and  I shall  write  much  better  when 
I think  that  it  is  for  you.  Madame  de  Maintenon  spends 
all  the  day  in  spinning,  and,  if  she  were  allowed,  she 
would  spend  all  the  night  as  well,  or  in  writing.  I read 
the  life  of  Cassar  on  the  journey  here,  that  of  Alexander 
at  Bareges,  and  yesterday  I commenced  that  of  Pompey. 
Madame  de  Maintenon  had  a headache  yesterday,  and 
did  not  get  up  except  for  mass.  M.  Le  Ragois 1 is 
taking  the  waters ; they  did  not  agree  with  him  the  first 
day,  but  he  is  pleased  with  them  now.  M.  Fagon 2 
scalded  me  yesterday  in  the  little  bath ; I hope  that  he 
will  be  more  moderate  another  time,  and  that  I shall  not 
cry  so  much.  I bathe  in  the  bath  on  the  days  when  the 
weather  is  cool,  and  in  my  room  when  it  is  warm.  Lutin 
is  very  lazy,  and  in  Madame  de  Maintenon’s  bad  books. 
I am  very  pleased  with  Marcine  ; Valentin  and  des  Aubiers 
are  very  attentive.  I have  made  a friend  of  Ance,  because 
he  has  the  honour  to  be  one  of  yours.  I am  satisfied 
with  Clement.  Marotte  is  a good  girl,  and  waits  very 
well.  La  Couture  does  not  like  lending  me  Madame 
de  Maintenon’s  dresses  when  I have  a mind  to  disguise 
myself  as  a girl.  I have  received  the  letter  which  you 
wrote  to  your  dearest  little  mignon  ; I am  delighted  with 
it,  Madame,  and  I shall  do  my  best  to  obey  you.” 

1 The  Abbe  Le  Ragois,  the  little  duke’s  tutor.  He  was  the  author 
of  several  historical  works. 

2 Guy  Crescent  Fagon,  afterwards  chief  physician  to  the  King. 

193  N 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


The  Due  du  Maine  to  Madame  de  Montespan. 

“ You  can  well  believe,  Madame,  that  I shall  experience 
a joy  inconceivable  on  seeing  you  again.  I ask  your 
pardon,  Madame,  for  writing  you  so  short  a letter,  but 
the  heat  has  so  exhausted  me  that  I cannot  write  any 
more.  I have,  however,  sufficient  strength  left  to  beg 
you  very  humbly,  Madame,  to  tell  the  King  that  I am  the 
most  obedient  of  his  servants.” 

The  Due  du  Maine  to  Madame  de  Montespan. 

“ Ma  belle  Madame , — I am  overwhelmed  with  delight 
at  what  you  have  said  in  the  letter  which  you  have  done 
me  the  honour  to  write  to  me  about  the  journey.  I beg 
you  very  humbly  to  let  me  know  what  day  I must  start 
to  return  to  Court.  I shall  not  speak  to  you  of  anything 
else  to-day,  because  I have  it  so  much  at  heart  that  I 
cannot  find  sufficient  words  to  express  myself.” 

The  Due  du  Maine  to  Madame  de  Montespan. 

“At  Ville-Dieu,  on  the  Road  from  Bareges. 

“ The  road  which  remains  for  me  to  travel  appears  very 
long  ; for  I am  very  impatient  to  see  the  Court  again, 
and  especially  the  King  and  yourself,  whom  I love  with 
incomprehensible  tenderness.” 

The  Due  du  Maine  to  Madame  de  Montespan. 

“ Tarbes,  September  15,  1677. 

“You  have  written  me  a letter  with  which  I am 
delighted,  Madame,  and  since  you  order  me  to  ask  for 
some  reward,  I entreat  you,  Madame,  to  allow  me  to 
leave  off  petticoats.  I am  starting  to  come  to  you.” 

194 


MADAME  DE  M ONTESPAN 


The  Due  du  Maine  to  Madame  de  Montespan. 

“ Risque,1  September  16,  1677. 

“ I left  Bagneres  on  Tuesday,  Madame,  and  slept  at 
Tarbes,  and  to-day  I travel  as  far  as  Aire.  My  joy  will  be 
complete  when  I see  you,  Madame  ; but  it  has  already  be- 
gun. I am  the  man  whom  you  love  most  in  the  world.”  2 

Unfortunately,  none  of  the  letters  written  by  Madame 
de  Montespan  to  the  Due  du  Maine  during  his  visit  to 
the  Pyrenees  have  been  preserved  ; but,  four  years  later, 
when  the  little  duke,  then  eleven  years  old,  had  begged 
to  be  allowed  to  accompany  the  King  and  the  army  to 
Strasbourg,  his  mother  wrote  to  him  as  follows  : — 

Madame  de  Montespan  to  the  Due  du  Maine. 

“Fontainebleau,  September  23,  1681. 

“ If  I were  capable  of  feeling  any  joyful  emotion,3  I 
should  have  experienced  it  on  seeing  the  manner  in  which 
the  King  has  received  your  proposal  to  go  to  the  war  ; he 
was  so  pleased  that  he  spoke  of  it  to  everybody,  and  I do 
not  doubt  that  if  you  had  been  here  he  would  have  taken 

1 Riscle  (Gers). 

2 The  little  duke  also  wrote  a letter  to  the  King,  which  is  of  interest, 
as  showing  that  the  correspondence  between  Louis  XIV.  and  Madame 
de  Maintenon,  which  had  commenced  during  the  lady’s  previous  visit  to 
the  Pyrenees,  had  been  resumed  : “ The  letter  which  you  have  done 
Madame  de  Maintenon  the  honour  to  write  to  her,  Sire,  has  made  me 
jealous,  for  I set  such  great  store  by  the  marks  of  your  regard  that  I 
cannot  permit  you  to  bestow  them  on  others.  What  la  belle  Madame 
(Madame  de  Montespan)  writes  me  will  encourage  me  to  sustain  the 
reputation  which  I flatter  myself  I have  gained,  as  nothing  is  more 
precious  to  me  than  the  approval  of  your  Majesty.” — Correspondence 
generate  de  Madame  de  Maintenon , i.  347. 

3 Madame  de  Montespan  had  just  lost  her  little  daughter,  Mademoiselle 
de  Tours,  who  died  at  Bourbon,  September  15,  1681. 

r95 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


you  with  him.  For  myself,  who  value  your  reputation 
above  all  things,  I should  have  consented  without  pain  to 
your  undertaking  a journey  in  which  your  health  would 
have  been  endangered,  to  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  hearing 
you  praised  by  every  one,  and  of  seeing  you  do  something 
to  prove  that  you  possess  courage  and  ambition  worthy 
of  the  son  of  a hero.  I say  nothing  to  you  of  other 
matters,  in  regard  to  which  you  will  feel  like  me  ; but  it 
is,  nevertheless,  well  that  you  should  know  that  you  are 
happily  spared  that  intermingling  of  blood  which  is 
ordinarily  the  fate  of  people  of  your  position  (i.e.  natural 
children),  and  that  from  whichever  side  you  regard  your- 
self, you  will  find  nobility,  courage,  and  intellect.  It  is 
a singularity  very  advantageous ; but  one  that  also  obliges 
you  to  turn  it  to  good  account. 

“ I do  not  speak  to  you  of  my  grief ; you  are  naturally 
too  good  not  to  have  experienced  it  yourself.  As  for 
Mademoiselle  de  Nantes,1  she  has  felt  it  as  deeply  as  if 
she  were  twenty,  and  has  received  the  visits  of  condolence, 
which  the  Queen,  Madame  la  Dauphine,  and  all  the  Court 
have  paid  her,  with  marvellous  grace.  Every  one  admires 
her ; but  I confess  I have  paid  too  dearly  for  these 
praises  to  have  derived  any  pleasure  from  them.  Every 
place  where  I have  seen  that  poor  little  one  (Mademoiselle 
de  Tours)  affects  me  so  deeply  that  I am  very  glad  to 
undertake  a journey  which  in  itself  is  the  most  disagree- 
able that  can  be  conceived,  in  the  hope  that  the  distraction 
will  diminish  to  some  extent  the  vapeurs  which  have  not 
left  me  since  the  loss  which  we  have  sustained.  I much 
fear  that  we  shall  have  started  before  your  letters  arrive.” 

“ I am  writing  to  M.  le  Marquis  de  Montchevreuil  2 to 

1 Her  eldest  daughter,  then  eight  years  old. 

2 The  Due  du  Maine’s  gouverneur. 

196 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

take  what  steps  he  deems  advisable  for  your  return  ; but 
I believe  you  will  be  a little  less  anxious  to  do  so  when 
you  know  that  the  King  will  not  return  for  six  weeks. 
In  the  event  of  your  arriving  before,  you  will  find  the 
Hotel  de  Longueville  1 ready  to  receive  you.”  2 

On  February  7,  1678,  Louis  XIV.  left  Versailles,  with 
the  Queen,  Madame  de  Montespan,  and  part  of  the 
Court,  to  join  the  army  which  was  advancing  on  Lorraine. 
This  movement  was,  however,  merely  a feint  to  divert 
the  attention  of  the  allies  from  the  real  object  of  the 
campaign,  which  was  the  siege  of  Ghent. 

“ The  King,”  said  his  ill-fated  sister-in-law,  Henrietta, 
on  a certain  occasion,  “ is  not  a person  calculated  to 
render  happy  even  those  whom  he  wishes  to  treat  with 
the  greatest  kindness  ” ; and,  indeed,  Louis’s  conduct  in 
compelling  his  mistress,  who  was  again  enceinte , to  follow 
him,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  along  roads  where  the 
cumbersome  coaches  of  the  time  sunk  almost  to  their 
axletrees  in  the  mud  at  every  few  yards,  seems  to  have 
been  little  short  of  barbarous.  The  despatches  which 

1 “The  Hotel  du  Maine  was  situated  in  the  Rue  Saint-Thomas  du 
Louvre.  It  was  the  Hotel  de  Longueville,  so  famous  in  the  time  of  the 
Fronde  and  the  Duchesse  deChevreuse.  Mesdames  de  Montespan  and 
de  Maintenon  stayed  there  when  they  came  to  Paris.  This  hotel  has 
now  been  pulled  down,  and  the  street  no  longer  exists.” — Correspondence 
generate  de  Madame  de  Maintenon,  ii.  210,  note. 

2 Correspondence  generate  de  Madame  de  Maintenon,  ii.  209.  Com- 
menting on  this  letter,  M.  Lavallee  says  : “ Of  all  the  letters  which  I 
have  had  to  examine  in  arranging  the  correspondence  of  Madame  de 
Maintenon  none  have  astonished  me  more  than  this.  It  affords  a very 
strange  testimony  to  the  morals  and  ideas  of  the  Court  of  Louis  XIV. 
Every  one  aided  and  abetted  the  Great  King’s  adulteries  ; no  one  made 
any  distinction  between  legitimate  children  and  bastards  ; and  his 
mistresses,  far  from  blushing  for  their  position,  openly  gloried  in  it,  and 
explained  the  situation  naively  to  their  children,” 

197 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Saint-Pouange,  one  of  Louvois’s  agents,  who  accom- 
panied the  troops,  sent  to  his  chief  furnish  us  with  some 
interesting  details  concerning  this  strange  journey,  which 
the  egotistical  monarch  doubtless  regarded  as  a great 
privilege  for  his  Court,  but  which  the  latter  must  have 
looked  upon  with  very  different  feelings : — 

“ February  9,  Provins. — The  King  arrived  at  four 
o’clock  this  afternoon,  having  only  started  at  seven 
o’clock  in  the  morning.  The  roads  are  in  such  a terrible 
condition  and  so  rough  that  most  of  the  carriages  be- 
longing to  the  Court  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  here. 
The  coaches  containing  the  dames  du  -palais  are  frequently 
delayed.  The  King  read  this  evening,  at  Madame  de 
Montespan’s,  while  they  were  playing  bassette,  part  of 
the  despatches  you  sent  me.” 

“ February  13,  Fere-Champenoise. — Madame  de  Mon- 
tespan  had  another  attack  of  fever  1 last  night,  and  it  is 
said  that  she  did  not  leave  this  morning  until  ten  o’clock, 
when  she  started  for  Sezanne.  She  is  better  now.” 

“ February  15,  Vi  try. — You  will  have  gathered  from 
the  letters  I sent  you  yesterday  that  Madame  de  Monte- 
span’s health  was  much  improved.  She  has  to-day  taken 
medicine,  which  is  having  a beneficial  effect.”  2 

“ February  18,  Commercy. — Madame  de  Montespan  is 
very  well,  and  during  the  march  to-day  has  been  riding  in 
the  Queen’s  coach.”  3 

1 On  the  previous  day,  Louis  XIV.  himself  had  written  to  Colbert 
that  “ Madame  de  Montespan  had  just  had  ‘ le  quatrieme  acces  de  fevrej 
but  that  it  would  not  prevent  her  continuing  her  journey.” 

2 At  Vitry,  the  municipal  authorities  presented  to  the  King  “ four 
dozen  bottles  of  Rheims  wine  ” ; to  the  Queen,  “ twenty-six  pounds  of 
preserved  fruit  and  eight  hundred  dried  pears”;  and  to  Madame  de 
Montespan,  “ a basket  of  dried  pears  ornamented  with  bows  of  ribbon.” 

3 Rousset’s  Histoire  de  Louvois,  vol.  ii.  pt.  i.  p.  488,  note.  The 

198 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Meanwhile  the  advance  into  Lorraine  had  produced 
the  effect  which  Louis  and  Louvois  had  anticipated,  and 

discomforts  suffered  by  the  unfortunate  ladies  of  the  Court  during  this 
campaign  seem  to  have  been  trifling  compared  with  those  they  were 
compelled  to  undergo  on  a similar  expedition  in  the  autumn  of  1680. 
Flechier,  the  future  Bishop  of  Nimes,  who  accompanied  the  Court  in 
his  capacity  as  lecteur  to  the  Dauphin,  thus  describes  his  experiences  in 
a letter  to  his  friend,  Mademoiselle  Deshoulieres  : — 

“ Stenay , 'November  6. — Yesterday  was  a day  of  adventures  for  the 
Court.  Up  till  then  the  journey  had  passed  without  any  incident, 
unpleasant  or  otherwise.  We  had  been  travelling  for  some  days  along 
roads  that  continuous  rain  had  ruined.  The  equipages  reached  Thionville 
with  considerable  difficulty,  and  the  following  day’s  march  proved  longer 
than  had  been  anticipated,  either  because  the  King  was  compelled  to  go 
out  of  his  way  to  visit  one  of  his  strongholds  or  because  they  had  taken 
into  account  only  the  distance  to  be  covered  and  not  the  difficulties  of 
the  route.  The  King  started  at  daybreak,  and  the  Queen  some  time 
afterwards.  On  the  march  the  wind  rose  and  the  rain  redoubled.  The 
coaches  became  separated,  according  as  they  were  well  or  badly  horsed. 
The  carts  overturned,  and  the  drivers  used  terrible  language.  In  the 
midst  of  this  confusion,  people  dined  as  they  could.  Finally,  as  the  day 
was  drawing  in  and  the  rain  still  continued,  the  majority  of  people 
gave  up  all  hope  of  reaching  our  destination.  The  King,  after  having 
made  the  round  of  the  fortifications  of  Longwy,  wished  to  go  to  the 
village  of  Longuyon,  where  his  quarters  were  ; but  the  night  overtook 
him,  his  guides  misled  him,  and  he  found  himself,  with  a troop  of 
courtiers,  in  the  midst  of  a wood,  soaked  with  rain  and  as  muddy  as  a 
postilion,  a few  leagues  from  Luxembourg,  where  the  Spaniards  have  a 
strong  garrison.  The  King  deliberated  whether  he  should  sleep  in  the 
wood,  as  no  one  was  able  to  show  him  the  way.  But  some  guards, 
after  searching  about  on  all  sides,  at  length  discovered  the  road  and 
lighted  some  fires  of  straw  ; and  by  this  means  the  King  gained  his 
quarters  at  eight  or  nine  o’clock  at  night.  The  Queen  had  not  yet 
arrived,  which  caused  the  King  great  uneasiness.  He  waited  some  time, 
and  then,  as  no  news  came,  he  and  all  the  courtiers  remounted  their 
horses  to  go  and  meet  the  princess,  whom  they  found  two  leagues  off, 
guided  by  some  peasants,  who  were  lighting  straw  to  show  the  way,  for 
the  officers  had  been  unable  to  follow,  and,  as  it  had  been  impossible  to 
foresee  that  the  day’s  march  would  occupy  such  a long  time,  no  one  had 

199 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


drawn  off  the  troops  which  had  been  covering  Ghent, 
while  the  greater  part  of  the  garrison  had  been  with- 
drawn for  service  elsewhere.  Accordingly,  on  arriving 
at  Metz,  a fortnight  from  leaving  Versailles,  the  King, 
after  reviewing  his  troops,  turned  to  the  north,  and 
marched  rapidly  towards  Flanders.  Stenay  was  reached 
on  February  27,  and  here  the  army  and  the  Court 
separated ; the  former,  with  the  King  riding  at  its 
head,  continuing  its  march  to  Ghent,  which  Marechal 
d’Humieres  with  some  40,000  men  was  already  pre- 
paring to  invest ; the  latter  proceeding  to  Lille  by  way 
of  Cambrai  and  Arras. 

The  reduction  of  the  famous  Flemish  city  proved  an 
easy  task,  for  it  was  only  defended  by  500  Spaniards, 
and  the  inhabitants  were  indisposed  to  render  the  soldiers 
any  assistance  ; and  on  the  night  of  March  10  the  Queen 
and  Madame  de  Montespan  were  roused  from  their 
slumbers  at  Cambrai  to  receive  the  news  of  its  surrender. 

“ Your  courier,”  writes  Villacerf,  first  maitre  d'hotel  to 
the  Queen,  to  Louvois,  “ brought  the  news  of  the  taking 
of  Ghent  at  midnight.”  The  Queen  was  in  bed  and 
asleep,  as  was  also  Madame  de  Montespan.  I woke  them 
up  to  receive  the  news  and  to  give  them  the  King’s  letters. 
It  would  be  impossible  to  imagine  a more  lively  joy  than 
they  evinced.  . . I will  inform  you  regularly  of  all  that 
passes  at  our  little  Court,  though,  according  to  appear- 
ances, there  will  be  nothing  of  importance  to  relate. 


taken  the  precaution  to  procure  torches.  The  Queen  was  weeping,  and 
continued  to  weep  until  the  next  day.  You  can  well  understand  that 
they  had  a tolerably  unpleasant  night.  Both  the  gentlemen  and  the  ladies 
slept  on  straw.  Madame  de  Montespan  had  great  difficulty  in  obtaining 
a wretched  mattress  for  Mademoiselle  de  Nantes,  whom  she  had  brought 
with  her.” — Delacroix’s  Histoire  de  F/echier,  p.  228. 

2QO 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


The  Queen  is  lodged  at  the  Archbishop’s  palace ; Madame 
de  Montespan  is  the  only  other  lady  there.  (Evidently 
the  Archbishop  of  Cambrai  was  a very  liberal-minded 
prelate.)  I find  the  Queen  rather  better  tempered  than 
on  previous  expeditions.  If  she  were  younger,  I should 
be  encouraged  to  hope  that  her  disposition  might 
change.”  1 

To  Villacerf  had  been  allotted  the  post  of  guardian  of 
the  seraglio,  a position  which  was  not  at  all  to  his  taste, 
for,  in  a subsequent  letter  to  the  War  Minister,  he 
remarks : “ It  is  a strange  thing  to  have  the  charge  of 
women ; I shall  praise  God  when  you  have  relieved  me 
of  it.” 

On  arriving  at  Lille,  Madame  de  Montespan  an- 
nounced her  intention  of  going  to  Oudenarde,  whither 
the  King  had  proceeded  after  the  fall  of  Ghent,  to  offer 
his  Majesty  her  felicitations  in  person ; and,  in  spite  of 
the  remonstrances  of  poor  Villacerf,  who  had  been 
charged  not  to  let  her  out  of  his  sight,  but  who  was,  of 
course,  unable  to  leave  his  royal  mistress,  set  off,  accom- 
panied by  the  Comtesse  de  Soissons,  now  restored  to 
favour.  After  spending  a couple  of  days  with  her  lover, 
the  marchioness  returned  to  Clagny,  where,  on  July  4, 
she  gave  birth  to  her  seventh  and  last  child  by  the  King, 
a boy,  who  was  subsequently  legitimated,  under  the  title 
of  the  Comte  de  Toulouse,  as  was  the  little  daughter 
born  the  previous  year. 

An  incident,  which  was  in  all  probability  not  without 
its  effect  upon  the  subsequent  relations  of  Louis  XIV.  and 
Madame  de  Montespan,  marked  the  monarch’s  return 
from  this  campaign.  “The  King,”  writes  the  Marquis 
de  Sourches,  “being  still  violently  enamoured  of  Madame 

1 Rousset’s  Histoire  de  Louvois , vol.  ii.  pt.  i.  p.  495. 

201 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

de  Montespan,  and  returning  to  Versailles,  after  the 
taking  of  Ghent  and  Ypres,  some  days  before  Easter,  in 
the  year  1678,  Pere  de  La  Chaise,  his  confessor,  remained 
behind  at  Lille,  asserting  that  he  was  unwell,  either 
because  such  was  really  the  case,  or  because  he  did  not 
wish  to  give  absolution  to  the  King,  who,  in  spite  of  all 
his  remonstrances,  declined  to  break  off  his  connection 
with  Madame  de  Montespan.  In  the  absence  of  his 
confessor,  the  King  sent  for  Pere  de  Champy  (Jesuit), 
who,  after  a lengthy  interview  with  him,  refused  to  hear 
his  confession,  as  he  was  unwilling  to  give  him  absolution, 
and,  nevertheless,  contrived  to  speak  so  sensibly  that  the 
King,  very  far  from  being  offended  at  his  refusal,  was 
very  pleased  with  him,  and  spoke  of  him  highly  to  every- 
body.” 1 

1 Memoires  du  Marquis  de  Sourches , i.  89. 


202 


CHAPTER  XIV 


Generosity  of  Louis  XIV.  to  Madame  de  Montespan — 

Her  income,  nevertheless,  insufficient  for  her  expenditure— 

The  King  makes  her  a grant  of  the  proceeds  of  the  tobacco 
monopoly — But  withdraws  it  at  the  entreaty  of  Colbert — He 
arms  several  vessels  as  privateers  to  operate  for  her  benefit — 
Madame  de  Montespan  one  of  the  most  reckless  gamblers 
known  to  history — The  age  of  Louis  XIV.  remarkable  for  its 
passion  for  play — Madame  de  Sevigne’s  description  of  the 
gambling  at  Versailles — Enormous  sums  won  and  lost  by 
Madame  de  Montespan — An  all-night  seance  at  bassette — 

The  King  pays  Madame  de  Montespan’s  losses — And  forbids 
bassette  to  be  played  any  more — Madame  de  Montespan  as  a 
philanthropist — She  founds  the  Hopital  des  Vieillards  at 
Saint-Germain-en-Laye  — Her  munificence  to  the  general 
hospital  in  the  same  town — She  persuades  the  King  to  found 
a convent  for  the  Ursuline  nuns  at  Saint-Germain— She 
builds  a home  for  little  orphan  girls  at  Fontainebleau — And 
completes  the  dome  of  the  church  of  the  Oratorian  monastery 
at  Saumur — Her  patronage  of  men  of  letters — She  causes 
Corneille’s  pension  to  be  restored  to  him — She  suggests  the 
appointment  of  a royal  historiographer — But  causes  Pellisson 
to  be  dismissed  for  having  given  a verdict  against  her  in  a law- 
suit— Racine  and  Boileau  read  fragments  of  their  contemporary 
history  to  the  King  and  Madame  de  Montespan — Racine’s 
outrageous  flattery  of  Louis  XIV. — La  Fontaine  dedicates  his 
second  collection  of  fables  to  Madame  de  Montespan — The 
favourite  presents  him  to  the  King — She  protects  Quinault 
and  the  composer  Lulli — Ingratitude  of  Madame  de  Monte- 
span’s literary  proteges. 

The  immense  sums  spent  upon  the  construction  of 
Clagny,  the  recommendations  to  Colbert  to  spare  no 

203 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


expense  to  gratify  Madame  de  Montespan’s  caprices,  the 
magnificent  jewels  and  toilettes  with  which  she  dazzled 
the  eyes  of  the  most  splendid  Court  in  Christendom,  the 
almost  regal  state  observed  by  her  in  her  journeys  to 
Bourbon  and  elsewhere  show  that  the  lady  must  have 
had  little  cause  to  complain  of  the  liberality  of  her  royal 
lover;  and,  indeed,  it  is  hardly  possible  to  conceive  that 
any  favourite  of  modern  times  could  have  been  the  object 
of  more  lavish  generosity.  We  have,  unfortunately,  no 
means  of  ascertaining  even  approximately  the  total 
amount  she  received  from  the  King,  since,  unlike 
Madame  de  Pompadour,  she  appears  to  have  kept  no 
accounts,  probably  considering  such  bourgeois  calcula- 
tions beneath  her  dignity  ; but  it  must  have  been  some- 
thing truly  colossal.  In  the  spring  of  1677  within  the 
space  of  fifteen  days,  Colbert  placed  at  her  disposal, 
“ according  to  instructions  received  from  his  Majesty 
previous  to  his  departure  for  the  army,”  97,500  livres  ; 
and  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  was  only  one  of 
many  similar  sums  paid  to  the  lady,  in  addition  to  her 
regular  allowance.  What  this  was  during  the  years  of 
her  favour  is  not  known ; but  from  the  time  of  her 
retirement  from  Court  in  1691  until  1707  she  was  in 
receipt  of  a monthly  pension  of  100,000  livres,1  and  it 
is,  therefore,  reasonable  to  suppose  that  it  was  a very 
munificent  one.2 

1 In  1707  it  was  reduced  by  two-thirds  on  account  of  the  im- 
poverished state  of  the  Treasury. 

2 A separate  allowance  was  made  Madame  de  Montespan  for  the 
support  of  her  children.  In  1677  we  find  that  a pension  of  150,000 
livres  was  paid  to  her  “ for  the  maintenance  and  education  of  the  Due 
du  Maine,  the  Comte  de  Vexin,  and  the  Demoiselles  de  Nantes  and  de 
Tours,  natural  children  of  his  Majesty,  together  with  their  domestics, 

zo\ 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


But  great  as  was  the  generosity  of  the  King,  it  seems 
to  have  been  insufficient  to  meet  Madame  de  Montespan’s 
expenditure;  and,  accordingly,  we  find  her  having  recourse 
to  various  expedients  for  increasing  her  income.  Thus, 
in  1674,  she  persuaded  Louis  to  make  her  a grant  of  the 
revenue  arising  from  the  recently  established  tobacco 
monopoly,1  though  she  was  not  permitted  to  enjoy  it  for 
long,  as  Colbert,  at  the  risk  of  mortally  offending  the 
haughty  favourite,  protested  so  strongly  that  the  King 
ordered  her  to  surrender  it.  Four  years  later,  the 
Treasury  was  called  upon  to  provide  the  necessary  capital 
for  the  lady  to  indulge  in  what  in  those  troublous  times 
often  proved  a highly  lucrative  form  of  speculation.  On 
April  1 6,  1678,  Colbert  writes  to  the  Intendant  of 
Rochefort,  informing  him  that  the  King  had  given  a 
vessel  called  Le  Hardi  to  Madame  de  Montespan  and  the 
Comtesse  de  Soissons  to  be  fitted  out  as  a privateer,  and 
directing  him  to  have  it  equipped  with  “ stores,  cannon, 
arms,  powder,  rigging,  and  the  apparatus  required.” 
Similar  instructions  had  already  been  sent  to  the  Inten- 
dant of  Brest ; and,  three  weeks  later,  a third  vessel  was 
ordered  to  be  fitted  out  for  the  same  purpose.  By  the 
express  desire  of  Madame  de  Montespan,  the  sailors  to 
man  these  ships  were  to  be  chosen  in  her  own  province. 
To  the  favourite’s  great  disappointment,  the  Peace  of 
Nimeguen  was  concluded  before  he  Hardi  and  her  con- 
sorts were  ready  for  sea  ; but  the  lady  evidently  did  not 
abandon  the  idea,  since  in  1697  she  appears  as  part- 
train,  suite,  and  equipage”;  while  eight  years  later  she  was  granted 
no  less  a sum  than  half  a million  “ for  the  maintenance  of  the  Due  du 
Maine  and  the  Demoiselles  de  Nantes  and  de  Blois,”  the  eldest  of  whom 
was  only  fifteen  years  of  age. 

1 This  tax  on  its  establishment  only  produced  500,000  livres. 
Twenty  years  later  it  had  risen  to  1,600,000  livres. 

205 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


owner  of  another  piratical  craft.  “If  you  can  form  any 
idea  of  the  profit  accruing  to  Madame  de  Montespan 
from  her  share  in  this  armed  vessel,”  writes  the  Comte  de 
Toulouse’s  secretary  to  a shipowner  at  Brest,  “ I beg  of 
you  to  let  me  know,  so  that  I may  send  word  in  advance 
to  Fontevrault,  where  she  is  now  staying,  and  from  which 
she  is  constantly  writing  to  inquire  if  there  is  any  news, 
as  she  concludes  that  it  can  hardly  be  less  than  a million 
livres.1 

That  Madame  de  Montespan  should  have  been  occa- 
sionally in  need  of  money  is  scarcely  surprising,  when  we 
reflect  that  not  only  was  she  prodigal  in  the  extreme,  but 
one  of  the  most  reckless  gamblers  of  which  history  has 
any  record. 

The  France  of  Louis  XIV.  was  remarkable  for  its 
passion  for  play,  and  if  the  vice  was  not  quite  so  wide- 
spread as  in  the  eighteenth  century,  the  stakes  were 
infinitely  higher.  “ Play  without  limit  and  without 
regulation,”  said  Bourdaloue,  in  one  of  his  sermons, 
“ which  is  no  longer  an  amusement,  but  a business,  a 
profession,  a trade,  a fascination  ; a passion,  nay,  if  I 
may  say  so,  a rage  and  a madness,  which  brings  inevitably 
in  its  train  the  neglect  of  duty,  the  ruin  of  families,  the 
dissipation  of  fortunes,  the  mean  trickery  and  knavery 
which  result  from  greed  of  gain,  insanity,  misery, 
despair.2 

The  games  most  in  fashion  were  lansquenet,  hombre, 
bassette,  reversi,  trou-madame,  and  hoca,  the  last  a 
species  of  hazard,  which  is  said  to  have  been  introduced 
into  France  by  Mazarin.  It  was,  from  all  accounts,  a 
game  which  lent  itself  very  easily  to  trickery,  and  about 

1 Quoted  in  Clement’s  Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIV.,  p.  395. 

2 Hurel’s  Les  Orateurs  sacres  a la  Cour  de  Louis  XIV.,  ii.  54. 

206 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


1678  it  was  made  illegal,  for  in  that  year  the  Marquis 
de  Seignelay  writes  to  La  Reynie,  the  Lieutenant  of 
Police  : “ His  Majesty  intends  to  speak  so  strongly  to 
M.  de  Ventadour  about  the  hoca  that  goes  on  at  his 
house  that  there  is  no  room  for  doubt  that  it  will  put 
an  end  to  this  kind  of  thing  in  the  future.”1  Neverthe- 
less, hoca  continued  to  be  played,  for  in  March  1682  we 
hear  of  Madame  de  Montespan  losing  50,000  6cus, 
“which  greatly  displeased  the  King”;  while  six  years 
later,  two  grandes  dames,  the  Comtesse  de  Rothelin  and 
Madame  de  Reuilly,  were  exiled,  the  former  to  Champagne 
and  the  latter  to  Abbeville,  for  disobeying  the  royal  edict. 

All  the  Royal  Family — including  even  the  devout 
Queen,  who  invariably  lost  her  money,  because,  as  the 
Princess  Palatine  observes,  she  never  seemed  able  to  re- 
member the  rules  of  any  game — were  devoted  to  play  ; 
and  in  this  respect  the  Court  set  a deplorable  example  to 
the  rest  of  the  country.  Madame  de  Sevigne  has  left  us 
a lively  picture  of  the  gambling  which  went  on  of  an 
afternoon  at  Versailles  : — 

“ At  three  o’clock  the  King,  the  Queen,  Monsieur , 
Madame , Mademoiselle,  the  Princes  and  Princesses, 
Madame  de  Montespan,  all  her  suite,  all  the  courtiers, 
all  the  ladies — in  a word,  all  what  is  called  the  Court  of 
France,  assemble  in  that  fine  apartment  of  the  King  which 
you  know.  All  is  furnished  divinely,  all  is  magnificent. 
One  knows  not  what  it  is  to  feel  hot,  and  it  is  easy  to 
pass  from  one  room  to  another  without  the  slightest 
crush.  A game  at  reversi  gives  form  to  the  assembly 
and  makes  every  one  sit  down.  The  King  is  with  Madame 
de  Montespan,  who  holds  the  cards ; Monsieur,  the 
Queen,  and  Madame  de  Soubise ; Dangeau  and  company, 

1 Ouoted  in  Clement’s  La  Police  sur  Louis  XIV.,  p.  84. 

207 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Langlee  and  company  are  at  different  tables.  A thousand 
louis  are  thrown  on  the  baize  ; they  use  no  other  counters. 
I saw  Dangeau1  play  and  could  not  help  observing  how 
awkward  others  appeared  in  comparison  with  him.  He 
thinks  of  nothing  but  the  game;  gains  where  others  lose  ; 
never  throws  a chance  away  ; profits  by  every  mistake ; 
nothing  escapes  or  distracts  him  ; in  short,  his  skill  defies 
fortune.  Thus  two  hundred  thousand  francs  in  ten  days, 
a hundred  thousand  ecus  in  a month,  are  added  to  his 
receipt-book. 

“ The  pools  are  of  five,  six,  and  seven  hundred,  and 
the  larger  of  a thousand  or  twelve  hundred  louis.  To 
begin  with,  each  person  pools  twenty : that  makes  a 
hundred ; and  the  dealer  afterwards  pools  ten.  The 
person  who  holds  the  knave  of  hearts  receives  four  louis 
from  the  others ; and  when  anyone  tries  for  the  pool  and 
fails  to  take  it,  he  pays  in  sixteen.  They  talk  incessantly. 
‘How  many  hearts  have  you  ? I have  two  ; I have  three; 
I have  one  ; I have  four.’  Dangeau  is  delighted  with 
this  chatter ; he  discovers  the  cards  they  have  in  their 
hands,  draws  his  conclusions,  and  is  guided  in  his  play  by 

1 Philippe  de  Courcillon,  Marquis  de  Dangeau  (1638-1720),  soldier, 
diplomatist,  poet,  courtier,  diarist,  and  gambler.  Although  successful  in 
all  these  varied  roles,  he  is  now  best  remembered  by  his  "Journal,  which, 
in  spite  of  the  ridicule  poured  upon  it  by  Voltaire,  who  had  a grudge 
against  the  author,  is  a work  of  great  value,  “ the  necessary  complement, 
if  not  the  counterpart,  of  the  Memoires  of  Saint-Simon.”  Fontenelle 
relates  an  amusing  story  of  Dangeau’s  versatility.  “ Having,  one  day  at 
Saint-Germain,  asked  a favour  of  the  King,  Louis  promised  to  grant  it 
on  condition  that,  during  a game  of  cards  in  which  he  was  about  to  take 
part,  he  should  put  his  request  into  verse,  confining  himself  to  exactly  a 
hundred  lines.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  game,  at  which  he  had 
appeared  to  be  no  more  occupied  than  usual,  he  recited  his  hundred 
lines  to  the  King,  fairly  counted.”  La  Bruy^re  has  drawn  Dangeau’s 
portrait  in  his  Caractbes,  under  the  name  of  Pamphilus. 

208 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


their  indiscretions.  I observed  with  pleasure  his  great 
skill  and  dexterity.” 

Pools  of  a thousand  or  twelve  hundred  louis,  equivalent 
to  between  four  and  five  times  as  much  in  money  of  to- 
day, might,  one  would  imagine,  have  been  sufficient  to 
satisfy  the  cupidity  of  even  the  most  inveterate  of 
gamblers ; but  such  play  was  the  merest  bagatelle  to 
what  went  on  in  private.  “ Dancing  has  now  gone  out 
of  fashion,”  writes  the  Princess  Palatine  to  one  of  her 
German  friends.  “ Here,  in  France,  as  soon  as  people  get 
together,  they  do  nothing  but  play  lansquenet ; the  young 
people  no  longer  care  about  dancing.  . . They  play 
here  for  frightful  sums,  and  the  players  seem  bereft  of 
their  senses.  One  shouts  at  the  top  of  his  voice  ; another 
strikes  the  table  so  violently  with  his  fist  that  the  whole 
room  resounds  ; a third  blasphemes  in  a manner  to  make 
one’s  hair  stand  on  end  ; all  appear  beside  themselves ; 
and  it  is  horrible  to  watch  them.”1 

During  the  early  years  of  her  favour,  the  years  when 
she  exercised  undisputed  sovereignty  over  the  King’s 
heart,  Madame  de  Montespan’s  gaming  would  appear  to 
have  been  kept  within  bounds,  at  least  we  can  find  no 
mention  of  anything  very  remarkable  in  the  records  of 
her  contemporaries.  But  when  the  passion  of  her  royal 
lover  was  on  the  wane — when,  on  the  one  hand,  the 
Soubises,  the  Louvignys,  and  the  Ludres  began  to  appear 
upon  the  scene,  while,  on  the  other,  the  subtle  influence 
of  Madame  de  Maintenon  was  slowly  but  steadily  in- 
creasing— then  it  was  that  the  haughty  sultana  sought 
distraction  from  her  jealousy  and  mortification  in  gam- 
bling orgies  which  would  seem  absolutely  incredible  were 
they  not  vouched  for  by  a score  of  witnesses. 

1 Correspondance  complete  de  Madame , Ducbesse  d' Orleans,  i.  15. 

209  o 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


During  the  campaign  of  1678,  Saint-Pouange  writes 
from  Lille  to  Louvois : “The  day  before  yesterday, 

M.  de  Langlee,  who  kept  the  bank,  lost  2700  pistoles,1 
of  which  Madame  de  Montespan  and  Madame  la  Comtesse 
de  Soissons  won  a considerable  part.”2  Some  months 
later,  we  learn  that  the  lady  is  “ winning  coups  at  bas- 
sette  which  amount  to  a million  livres,  and  that  she 
grumbles  when  people  refuse  to  accept  her  wagers.”3 
Then,  on  January  13, 1679,  the  Comte  de  Rebenac  informs 
the  Marquis  de  Feuquieres  : “ Madame  de  Montespan’s 
gambling  has  reached  such  a pitch  that  losses  of  100,000 
ecus  are  common.  On  Christmas  Day  she  lost  700,000 
ecus;  she  staked  150,000  pistoles  on  three  cards  and 
won.” 

The  climax,  however,  seems  to  have  been  reached  at 
the  beginning  of  the  following  March,  when  an  all-night 
seance  was  held  in  Madame  de  Montespan’s  apartments, 
and  the  players  staked  as  if  they  had  the  coffers  of  the 
State  behind  them.  “ The  last  mail  informs  me,”  writes 
the  Marquis  de  Trichateau  to  Bussy-Rabutin,  “that,  on 
the  night  of  Monday  to  Tuesday,  Madame  de  Montespan 
lost  four  hundred  thousand  pistoles  playing  against  the 
bank,  which,  however,  she  eventually  won  back.  At 
eight  o’clock  in  the  morning,  Bouyn,4  who  kept  the 
bank,  wished  to  stop ; but  the  lady  declared  that  she  did 
not  intend  to  go  to  bed  until  she  had  won  back  another 
hundred  thousand  pistoles  which  she  owed  him  from  a 

1 The  pistole  was  worth  from  io  to  1 1 livres. 

2 Rousset’s  Histoire  de  Louvois , vol.  ii.  pt.  i.  p.  495. 

3 Madame  de  Montmorency  to  Bussy-Rabutin,  December  9,  1678. 

4 A wealthy  financier  of  the  time.  Dangeau  describes  him  as  a 
“coarse  brute,”  and  says  that  he  had  at  one  time  served  a long  term  of 
imprisonment  for  embezzlement. 


zio 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


previous  occasion.  Monsieur  only  left  Madame  de  Monte- 
span’s  apartments  in  time  to  attend  the  King’s  lever. 
The  King  paid  thirty  thousand  pistoles  which  Monsieur 
and  Madame  de  Montespan  still  owed  to  the  other 
players.”  1 

As  a result  of  this  scandalous  night,  Louis  XIV.  inter- 
dicted bassette  as  he  had  already  interdicted  hoca ; but, 
doubtless,  lansquenet,  reversi,  and  trou-madame  2 afforded 
Madame  de  Montespan  and  her  associates  ample  scope 
for  their  energies,  even  if  means  were  not  forthcoming  for 
evading  the  royal  edict. 


But,  if  Madame  de  Montespan  squandered  money 
on  her  pleasures  with  almost  criminal  recklessness,  she 
was  at  the  same  time  extremely  generous — splendidly, 
lavishly  generous ; and  some  of  the  fruits  of  her  good 
works  endure  to  this  day.  At  first  this  benevolence 
may  have  proceeded  from  mere  ostentation,  but  in  her 
later  years,  as  we  shall  see,  it  was  prompted  by  far 
worthier  motives. 

In  1670  the  Queen  had  founded,  conjointly  with  a 
society  of  charitable  ladies,  a hospital  at  Saint-Germain- 
en-Laye,  which  took  the  name  of  the  Hopital  de  la  Charite. 
In  1678  Madame  de  Montespan  founded,  in  her  turn,  a 
hospital,  called  the  Hopital  des  Vieillards,  and  four  years, 
later,  acquired  in  the  neighbouring  valley  of  Fillancourt, 
for  17,000  livres,  a site,  which  she  presented  to  the 
hospital,  for  the  construction  of  additional  buildings. 

1 The  Marquis  de  Trichateau  to  Bussy-Rabutin,  March  6,  1679. 

2 Trou-madame  was  a game  of  hazard,  somewhat  similar  to  hoca, 
played  with  thirteen  little  balls  on  a board  containing  thirteen  pockets, 

21 1 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Finally,  in  December  1688,  we  find  her  buying  sixty 
perches  of  land  in  the  same  place,  “ for  the  use  of  the 
said  hospital,”  on  which  a new  hospital  and  a church  were 
erected.  The  constructions  of  1682  and  1688  are  still 
in  existence.  About  the  same  period,  the  marchioness 
enlarged  the  general  hospital  at  Saint-Germain,  founded 
by  Louis  XIV.  in  1681,1  and  its  registers  state  that  for 
many  years,  when,  owing  to  the  ruinous  expenditure 
which  the  wars  against  the  Coalition  entailed,  the  institu- 
tion received  hardly  any  assistance  from  the  State,  Madame 
de  Montespan  contributed  in  the  most  generous  fashion 
to  its  support ; indeed,  but  for  her  timely  help,  it  is  very 
probable  that  it  would  have  been  compelled  to  close  its 
doors  altogether.2 

The  foundation  of  the  Hopital  des  Vieillards  and  her 
splendid  liberality  to  the  general  hospital  were  not  the 
only  benefits  which  Saint-Germain  received  from  Madame 
de  Montespan.  In  1681  3 the  Marchioness  persuaded 
Louis  XIV.  to  found  a convent  for  the  Ursuline  nuns  in 
the  same  town,  and  no  doubt  herself  contributed  liberally 
to  its  support.  Here  is  the  brevet  constituting  her 
fondatrice : — 

1 The  hospital  possesses  an  agreement  between  her  and  two  master- 
masons,  which  provides  for  the  construction  of  a large  ward,  at  a cost  of 
4500  livres. 

2 M.  Clement  (Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIlr.,  p.  41 1)  says 
that  one  of  the  hospital  registers  contains  a number  of  receipts  for  sums 
given  by  Madame  de  Montespan  between  1687  and  1707.  A deed  of 
July  3,  1697,  gives  her  the  title  of  fondatrice,  and  another  of  July  26, 
1710,  speaks  of  her  as  “benefactress  of  this  institution,”  and  states  that 
she  was  in  the  habit  of  auditing  the  accounts.  The  hospital  for  old 
men  founded  by  Madame  de  Montespan  in  June  1678  was  incorporated 
with  the  general  hospital  in  1803. 

3 She  had  then  ceased  to  be  the  King’s  mistress. 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


“ Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 

“ March  28,  1681. 

“To-day,  March  28,  1681,  the  King  being  at  Saint- 
Germain-en-Laye,  his  Majesty  having  approved  the  pro- 
position and  very  humble  supplication  which  has  been 
made  to  him  by  the  dame  Marquise  de  Montespan, 
surintendante  of  the  Queen’s  Household,  to  establish  a 
convent  for  the  Ursuline  nuns  at  Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 
for  the  instruction  of  young  girls  in  the  fear  of  God  and 
the  occupations  and  employments  of  their  sex,  his 
Majesty  has  caused  his  letters  patent  to  be  despatched, 
whereby  he  has  granted  and  given  to  the  Ursuline  nuns 
of  the  town  of  Saint-Denis  the  hotel  belonging  to  his 
Majesty  called  the  Hotel  des  Fermes,  situated  at  Saint- 
Germain,  and  the  sum  of  30,000  livres,  on  the  conditions 
stated  by  the  present  brevet. 

“ And  his  Majesty,  wishing  to  treat  favourably  the 
said  dame  de  Montespan,  desires  and  understands  that 
she  shall  enjoy  all  the  rights,  honours,  advantages,  and 
privileges  belonging  to  th  zfondatrice  of  the  said  monastery; 
that  she  shall  assume  that  position  and  be  recognised  as 
such  by  the  said  nuns  in  the  same  manner  as  in  the 
foundation  of  other  establishments  of  the  said  Ursulines. 
His  Majesty  likewise  desires  that  the  said  nuns  shall 
confer  on  the  said  dame  de  Montespan  all  the  necessary 
powers  and  privileges,  since  the  said  monastery  has  only 
been  founded  on  the  express  condition  that  the  said  dame 
de  Montespan  should  be  its  fondatrice , and  not  other- 
wise ; and,  in  testimony  of  his  will,  his  Majesty  has 
granted  the  present  brevet,  which  he  has  been  pleased  to 
sign  with  his  own  hand,  and  cause  it  to  be  countersigned 

213 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


by  me,  Councillor,  Secretary  of  State  and  of  his  orders 
and  finances. 

“Signed  : Louis  and  (lower  down)  Colbert.”1 

Fontainebleau  also  benefited  by  Madame  de  Monte- 
span’s  liberality.  Here,  in  November  1686,  the  mar- 
chioness “ having  learned  that  there  were  many  young 
orphan  girls  and  others  living  in  idleness,  want,  and,  for 
the  most  part,  without  shelter,  and  being  moved  with 
compassion  for  the  misery  of  these  poor  children,”  built 
a home,  called  the  Hopital  de  la  Sainte-Famille,  in  the 
Rue  de  La  Rochefoucauld,  on  a site  which  had  been 
given  by  the  King,  who,  in  addition,  made  an  annual 
grant  to  the  institution  of  4500  livres.  The  Hopital  de 
la  Sainte-Famille  accommodated  sixty  little  orphan  girls, 
who  received  instruction  in  “ religion,  writing,  sewing, 
and  the  making  of  lace.” 

Another  generous  act  on  the  part  of  the  marchioness 
was  the  completion,  in  1695,  of  the  dome  of  the  church 
attached  to  the  Oratorian  monastery  of  Notre  Dame  des 
Ardilliers  at  Saumur,  which  had  been  begun  forty  years 
before  by  Abel  Saurien,  surintendant  des  finances.  She 
also  enlarged  the  monastery.”2 

Of  Madame  de  Montespan’s  other  benefactions,  notably 
of  the  hospice  which  she  founded  at  Oiron  in  1703,  we 
shall  speak  later  on. 

Speaking  one  dav  of  the  conversational  powers  of  the 
Mortemart  sisters,  the  Abbe  Testu  remarked  : “ Madame 
de  Fontevrault  converses  like  one  who  talks,  Madame  de 
Thianges  like  one  who  dreams,  Madame  de  Montespan 

1 Clement’s  Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIV.,  p.  413. 

3 Ibid.,  p.  414. 


214 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


like  one  who  reads.”  This  dictum  seems  a little  strange 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  Madame  de  Montespan’s  educa- 
tion, to  judge  by  the  orthography  of  her  letters,  must 
have  been  decidedly  neglected,  while  the  Abbess  of  Fonte- 
vrault  was  an  excellent  classical  scholar,  and  published 
translations  of  both  Plato  and  Homer.1  But,  whatever 
may  have  been  the  favourite’s  literary  attainments,  there 
can  be  no  question  but  that  she  had  a genuine  admiration 
for  the  great  writers  of  her  time,  and  did  everything  in 
her  power  to  further  their  interests.  When  Corneille,  in 
his  old  age,  was  deprived  of  his  pension,  it  was  Madame 
de  Montespan  who  caused  it  to  be  restored  to  him.  It 
was  Madame  de  Montespan,  again,  who  introduced 
Racine  into  the  immediate  entourage  of  Louis  XIV.,  and 
it  was  she  who  first  suggested  the  idea  of  having  a history 
of  le  Grand  Monarque' s reign  written  by  a royal  historio- 
grapher, who  was  to  accompany  the  King  on  his  campaigns 
and  to  be  given  special  facilities  for  acquiring  materials 
for  his  work.  Louis  readily  assented,  such  a proposition 
being  indeed  very  soothing  to  his  vanity,  and  Pellisson 
was  appointed.  For  a time  things  went  smoothly  enough ; 
but,  unfortunately,  Pellisson,  besides  being  an  historian, 
was  also  a maitre  des  requetes , and,  in  that  capacity,  found 
himself  one  day  called  upon  to  give  judgment  in  a law- 
suit in  which  Madame  de  Montespan  was  one  of  the 
parties.  Rightly  or  wrongly,  he  decided  against  the  lady, 
and  straightway  lost  his  post,  which  was  henceforth  shared 
by  Racine  and  Boileau. 

The  two  poets  were  high  in  favour  with  Louis  XIV., 
and  used  frequently  to  be  summoned  to  his  private 
apartments  to  read  fragments  of  their  contemporary 
history  to  the  monarch  and  his  mistress.  Neither  of 

1 See  p.  332  and  note. 

215 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

them  was  exactly  a Tacitus,  but,  as  both  were  consum- 
mate flatterers,  their  lack  of  the  historic  faculty  was  no 
doubt  overlooked.  Racine,  indeed,  carried  his  flattery  of 
royalty  to  lengths  which  nowadays  would  be  considered 
absolutely  ludicrous,  though,  according  to  his  latest 
biographer,  M.  Larroumet,  he  believed  that  in  so  doing 
he  was  performing  a most  praiseworthy  action.  “ In  his 
eyes,  the  King  was  the  representative  of  God  on  earth, 
and  flattery  as  much  a duty  as  prayer  to  God.”  He  not 
only  flattered  Louis  in  conversation  and  in  his  works,  but 
in  public  ceremony.  In  1678,  in  his  capacity  as  Director 
of  the  Academy,  he  terminated  a discourse,  wherein  a 
eulogy  of  the  King  held  the  chief  place,  by  the  following 
declaration : “ All  the  words  of  our  language,  all  the 
syllables,  should  appear  precious  to  us  as  so  many  instru- 
ments to  be  used  for  the  glory  of  our  august  protector.” 
And  in  1685,  on  a like  occasion  : “ Happy  those  who 
have  the  honour  to  approach  the  person  of  this  great 
Prince,  the  wisest  and  the  most  -perfect  of  all  men  ! ” 1 Even 
Louis  XIV.,  with  his  insatiable  appetite  for  flattery, 
found  some  difficulty  in  digesting  this  last  piece  of  adula- 
tion. “ I am  very  pleased,”  said  he  to  Racine.  “ I 
should  have  praised  you  more  if  you  had  praised  me 
less.”  2 

Madame  de  Montespan  also  patronised  La  Fontaine, 
who  had  certainly  made  a bold  enough  bid  for  her  favour. 

1 Boileau’s  brother,  the  Abbe  Boileau,  pressed  Racine  very  closely  as  a 
flatterer.  One  day,  he  proposed  to  the  Academy  that  the  word  bonkeur 
(good  fortune)  should  be  proscribed  from  panegyrics  of  Louis  XIV., 
“because  his  fortune  is  his  own  work,  the  result  of  his  industry,  of  his 
genius,  which  foresees  and  provides  for  all  emergencies,  See.  &c.”  It 
was  disparaging  to  a prince,  he  said,  whose  success  was  owing  to  him- 
self, to  speak  of  his  good  fortune. 

* M.  Larroumet’s  Racine,  p.  112. 

216 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


In  1678  he  dedicated  to  her  his  second  collection  of 
fables,  in  verses  which  fairly  outstripped  the  limits  of 
flattery.  Here  are  the  closing  lines  : — 

“Sous  vos  seuls  auspices  ces  vers 
Seront  juges,  malgre  l’envie, 

Dignes  des  yeux  de  l’Univers. 

Je  ne  me  merite  pas  une  faveur  si  grande  : 

La  Fable  en  son  nom  la  demande. 

Vous  savez  quel  credit  ce  mensonge  a sur  nous  ; 

S’il  procure  h mes  vers  le  bonheur  de  vous  plaire, 

Je  croirai  lui  devoir  un  temple  pour  salaire  : 

Mais  je  ne  veux  des  temples  que  pour  vous.”  1 

Curiously  enough,  the  very  first  fable  in  the  book,  Les 
Animaux  malades  de  la  peste , is  one  of  La  Fontaine’s  most 
biting  satires  on  the  injustice  of  the  great;  but  this  did 
not  prevent  the  favourite  from  presenting  the  author  to 
the  King,  who  is,  of  course,  the  lion  of  the  fable,  nor 
the  King  from  according  him  a very  gracious  reception 
and  bestowing  on  him  a purse  of  gold.  The  story  goes 
that  the  absent-minded  poet,  who  had  intended  to  beg 
his  Majesty’s  acceptance  of  a copy  of  his  work,  forgot  to 
bring  the  book,  and,  what  is  still  more  strange,  forgot  to 
take  away  the  purse  of  gold  ! 

Another  of  the  marchioness’s  proteges  was  the  poet 
Quinault,  and  she  also  protected  the  composer  Lulli, 
who  collaborated  with  Ouinault  in  so  many  operas.  In 
1671  she  interfered  on  Lulli’s  behalf  in  the  quarrel 
between  him  and  the  Abbe  Perrin  over  the  control  of 
the  Opera,  a step  which  was  very  fortunate  for  that 

1 Fables  choisies,  & c.  (A  Paris,  chez  Denys  Thierry,  1678),  iii.  7.  The 
British  Museum  possesses  a copy  of  this  edition,  formerly  the  property 
of  King  George  III.  It  was  also  to  flatter  Madame  de  Montespan  that 
La  Fontaine  composed  the  fable  entitled,  Les  Dieux  voulants  instruire  un 
fils  de  Jupiter  ; “ the  son  of  Jupiter  ” being  the  Due  du  Maine. 

217 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


institution,  but  very  much  the  reverse  for  poor  Perrin, 
who  died  in  want  some  years  later. 

Madame  de  Montespan’s  literary  proteges  were  not 
conspicuous  for  their  gratitude.  In  1677,  Quinault 
satirised  the  marchioness  in  the  opera  of  Isis,  wherein 
she  figures  as  Juno,  pursuing  with  vengeance  the  un- 
fortunate Isis  (Madame  de  Ludres),  whom  Jupiter 
(Louis  XIV.)  changes  into  a cow  to  protect  from  her 
wrath.  As  soon  as  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges  appeared 
upon  the  scene,  La  Fontaine  transferred  his  allegiance  to 
her;1  while  “the  haughty  Vasthi  ” of  Racine’s  Esther 
is  obviously  the  poet’s  former  patroness.2 

1 See  p.  189. 

2 This  tragedy  was  produced  at  Saint-Cyr,  January  26,  1689. 


CHAPTER  XV 

Magnificent  New  Year’s  gifts  received  by  Madame  de  Montes- 
pan  in  1679— “The  King  on  the  brink  of  a deep  precipice” 

— Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges  becomes  mistress  of  Louis  XIV. 
—The  King  resolves  to  break  finally  with  Madame  de 
Montespan — Madame  de  Montespan  leaves  Saint-Germain 
for  Paris — But  returns  and  is  appointed  Superintendent  of 
the  Queen’s  Household — -And  apparently  resigns  herself  to 
the  situation — The  favour  of  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges 
becomes  public — Arrogance  and  ostentation  of  the  new  mis- 
tress— She  is  made  a duchess — Fury  of  Madame  de  Montes- 
pan— Singular  relations  between  Louis  XIV.  and  Madame 
de  Maintenon — The  King  creates  for  her  the  post  of  second 
dame  d' atour  to  the  Dauphiness — Her  favour  increasing  rapidly, 
in  spite  of  Louis’s  passion  for  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges — 
Explanation  of  this  apparent  enigma — Illness  of  Mademoiselle 
de  Fontanges — She  loses  her  beauty,  and  with  it  the  King’s 
affection — Madame  de  Montespan  returns  to  the  field— A 
triangular  duel  for  possession  of  the  royal  heart— Madame  de 
Sevigne  on  the  situation — Increasing  ascendency  of  Madame 
de  Maintenon — Futile  efforts  of  Madame  de  Montespan  to 
check  it — Total  discomfiture  of  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges 
— Madame  de  Montespan  and  Madame  de  Maintenon  face 
to  face. 

The  year  1679  opened  to  all  appearance  most  auspi- 
ciously for  Madame  de  Montespan.  To  judge  from 
the  magnificence  of  the  New  Year’s  gifts  which  she 
received,  her  empire  must  have  seemed  more  assured  than 
ever.  “ This  year’s  presents  have  made  a great  sensation,” 

219 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


writes  Madame  de  Scud6ry  to  Bussy-Rabutin,  “ Monsieur 
has  given  Madame  de  Montespan  a gold  salver  exqui- 
sitely chiselled,  with  a border  of  emeralds  and  diamonds, 
and  two  golden  goblets  with  the  lids  encrusted  with 
emeralds  and  diamonds.  This  present  is  said  to  have 
cost  ten  thousand  6cus.  The  Queen  and  all  the  dames  du 
palais  have  also  given  her  presents.  I have  not  heard 
whether  she  has  made  them  any,  with  the  exception  of 
the  Princesse  d’Harcourt,  to  whom  she  has  given  a hair- 
shirt,  a scourge,  and  a prayer-book  adorned  with  diamonds. 
Madame  de  Maintenon  has  given  her  a little  book,  en- 
crusted with  emeralds,  entitled  Les  CEuvres  de  M.  le  Due 
du  Maine A It  is  a collection  of  all  the  pretty  things  he 
1 Its  correct  title  was  CEuvres  diverses  d'un  auteur  de  sept  ans.  Only 
a very  few  copies  were  printed,  of  which  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale 
possesses  one,  and  it  was  preceded  by  a dedication  from  Madame  de 
Maintenon  to  Madame  de  Montespan,  the  work  of  Racine.  The  book 
contained  a number  of  the  little  duke’s  letters.  Some  of  these  have 
already  been  given  in  a previous  chapter.  Here  are  some  others,  written 
to  Madame  de  Montespan  during  her  absence  with  the  army  in  1678  : — 
“ Saint-Germain , February  7,  1678. — I am  inconsolable,  Madame, 
at  not  having  seen  you  leave  to  day.  The  King  did  me  the  honour  to 
notice  me  as  he  was  coming  out  of  chapel  ; I was  delighted  at  the  little 
nod  he  gave  me,  but  grieved  at  his  departure,  and,  for  you,  Madame, 
very  disappointed  that  you  did  not  appear  grieved.  You  were  beautiful 
as  an  angel.  Adieu,  ma  belle  Madame. — Le  Mignon.” 

“ February  1678. — Monsieur's  little  daughter  is  becoming  a little  more 
lively.  Madame  de  Maintenon  has  told  me  to  teach  her  to  play 
billiards  and  shuttlecock.  I flatter  myself  that  I am  acquitting  myself 
very  well,  and  I am  very  satisfied  with  her  ; I can  see  that  she  is  doing 
her  best  to  imitate  the  most  skilful  players.  It  is  not  the  will  that  she 
needs  ; it  is  her  slowness,  which  causes  her  to  spend  an  hour  in  making 
her  stroke  ; she  tries  very  hard.  Adieu,  ma  ebbre  enjant.” 

“ February  17,  1678. — I shall  try  to  deserve  the  praises  that  the  King 
bestows  on  me  by  increasing  every  day  the  esteem  which  you  say  he  has 
for  me  ; and  when  it  will  only  be  a question  of  pleasing  you,  I shall  do 
the  same,  as  I love  you  to  excess.” 


220 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


has  said  since  he  came  into  the  world.”  Madame  de 
Scudery  does  not  say  anything  about  the  King’s  present 
to  the  favourite ; but  it  is  safe  to  presume  that  it  was  at 
least  equal  in  magnificence  to  that  of  Monsieur. 

But  soon  the  scene  changes  once  more.  At  the  begin- 
ning of  March,  we  find  Madame  de  Maintenon  imploring 
the  Abbe  Gobelin  “ to  pray  and  to  have  prayers  said  for 
the  King,  who  is  on  the  brink  of  a deep  precipice.”  1 This 
“ deep  precipice  ” was  the  heart  of  Marie  Angelique 
d’Escorailles  de  Roussille,  Demoiselle  de  Fontanges,  a 
young  beauty  of  eighteen  summers  and  maid  of  honour 
to  Madame , who  supplies  us  with  the  following  details  : — 

“ I had  a fille  d'lionneur  named  Beauvais.2  She  was  a very 
honest  creature.  The  King  became  enamoured  of  her, 
but  she  remained  virtuous.  Then  he  turned  his  attention 
to  the  Fontanges  girl,  who  was  also  very  pretty,  but 
without  any  intelligence.  At  first  he  said,  laughing  : 
‘ Here  is  a wolf  who  will  not  eat  me  up’  ; and  forthwith 
fell  in  love  with  her.  Before  she  came  to  me,  she  had 
dreamt  all  that  was  to  befall  her,  and  a pious  Capuchin 
had  explained  her  dream  to  her.  She  told  me  all  about 
it  herself  before  she  became  the  King’s  mistress.  She 
dreamt  that  she  had  ascended  a high  mountain,  and  having 
reached  the  top,  she  was  dazzled  by  an  exceedingly  bright 
cloud  ; then  she  found  herself  in  such  profound  dark- 
ness that  she  awoke  in  an  agony  of  fear.  She  told  her 
confessor,  who  said  to  her  : ‘Be  on  your  guard.  That 
mountain  is  the  Court,  where  some  great  distinction 

1 Correspondence  generate  de  Madame  de  Maintenon , ii.  47. 

2 Uranie  de  La  Cropte-Beauvais,  daughter  of  La  Cropte-Beauvais, 
equerry  to  the  Prince  de  Conde.  She  appears  to  have  been  in  love  at  this 
time  with  the  young  Comte  de  Soissons,  who  married  her  in  October 
1680,  in  spite  of  considerable  opposition  from  his  mother  and  other 
members  of  his  family. 


22  I 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


awaits  you.  It  will,  however,  be  of  short  duration.  If 
you  abandon  God,  he  will  abandon  you,  and  you  will  fall 
into  eternal  darkness.’  . . . The  Fontanges  girl  was  a 
silly  little  creature,  but  with  a warm  heart,  and  beautiful 
as  an  angel  from  head  to  foot.  She  was  terribly  senti- 
mental and  loved  the  King  passionately  in  the  style  of  a 
heroine  of  romance.”  1 

Like  most  of  le  Grand  Monarque  s affairs  of  the  heart, 
this  intrigue  was  most  carefully  disguised  at  first ; never- 
theless, the  secret  was  very  quickly  penetrated  by  Madame 
de  Montespan,  who  remonstrated  with  her  fickle  lover  in 
her  usual  violent  manner,  but  to  no  purpose.  As  Holy 
Week  was  approaching,  and,  with  it,  his  annual  access  of 
devotion,  his  Most  Christian  Majesty  bethought  him  of 
making  a kind  of  compromise  with  Heaven.  In  order 
to  be  free  to  indulge  his  passion  for  his  new  mistress  with 
an  easy  conscience,  he  resolved  to  break  finally  with  his 
old  one.  At  the  same  time,  with  the  idea  of  tempering 
the  wind  to  the  shorn  lamb,  he  decided  to  promote  the 
latter  to  the  coveted  post  of  Superintendent  of  the 
Queen’s  Household,  at  present  occupied  by  the  Comtesse 
de  Soissons.  Madame  de  Montespan  had  endeavoured  to 
prevail  upon  the  King  to  appoint  her  to  this  office  some 
years  before,  but  Louis  had  had  the  good  taste  to  spare 
his  unfortunate  consort  this  last  humiliation.  Now, 
however,  that  his  illicit  connection  with  the  lady  had 
ceased,  the  former  objections  would  disappear,  and  the 


1 If  Bussy-Rabutin  is  to  be  believed,  the  subjugation  of  the  impres- 
sionable monarch  had  been  deliberately  planned  by  the  young  lady’s 
relatives,  “ who,  seeing  her  beauty  and  grace,  and  having  more  regard 
for  their  fortune  than  for  their  honour,  clubbed  together  to  fit  her  out 
for  Court,  and  to  provide  her  with  means  corresponding  to  the  position 
she  was  about  to  enter.” 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


appointment  would,  moreover,  serve  the  purpose  of  pro- 
claiming to  the  world  that  all  was  at  an  end  between 
them. 

On  March  15,  Madame  de  Montespan  suddenly  left 
Saint-Germain,  where  the  Court  then  was,  and  proceeded 
to  Paris,  where  she  remained  a week.  It  was  the  general 
opinion  that  her  departure  was  occasioned  “ by  the 
jealousy  which  she  had  conceived  for  Mademoiselle  de 
Fontanges  ” ; but,  as  we  shall  explain  in  a subsequent 
chapter,  it  had  a far  graver  significance. 

A letter  from  the  Marquis  de  Trichateau  to  Bussy- 
Rabutin  contains  some  interesting  details  in  regard  to  the 
little  Court  revolutions  now  in  progress  : — 

“ The  King  has  fasted  three  days,  performed  his 
devotions,  and  touched  the  sick.1  Madame  de  Montes- 
pan has  had  many  conferences  with  Pere  Cesar  (her 
confessor).  On  Wednesday  (March  21)  she  returned  to 
Saint-Germain,  where  she  attended  Tenebrce,  standing  the 
whole  time  behind  the  King’s  chair.  The  Queen  sent  to 
ask  her  to  attend  her  at  communion.  On  Friday  she 
returned  to  Paris,  and  on  Saturday  she  went  to  Main- 
tenon,  returning  to  Saint-Germain-en-Laye  on  the  fol- 
lowing Tuesday,  where  everything  went  on  as  usual,  save 
that  the  King  did  not  see  her  except  in  the  presence 
of  Monsieur.  Wednesday,  the  Comtesse  de  Soissons 
received  the  King’s  command  to  resign  her  post  (as 
Superintendent  of  the  Queen’s  Household).  The 

1 Those  suffering  from  King’s  Evil.  The  Gazette  de  France  states 
that  in  Holy  Week  1684,  Louis  XIV.  touched  and  distributed  alms  to 
900  people.  The  King  said  to  each  person,  “ The  King  touches  thee  ; 
may  God  heal  thee  ! ” The  virtue  of  the  royal  touch  in  the  seventeenth 
century  was  not  supposed  to  be  confined  to  the  King’s  Evil.  John 
Aubrey  writes  in  his  “ Miscellanies  ” : “ Arise  Evans  had  a fungous 

223 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


princess  in  question  was  at  Chaillot,  in  a little  house 
which  she  has  there.  M.  Colbert  was  continually  passing 
to  and  fro.  In  the  evening  she  spoke  to  the  King  at  the 
Queen’s,  who  complimented  her  highly  on  the  satisfaction 
which  she  had  given  her.  She  replied  with  all  the  respect 
imaginable,  and,  finally,  she  has  accepted  two  hundred 
thousand  £cus,  and  Madame  de  Montespan  has  in  this 
way  become  Superintendent  of  the  Queen’s  Household, 
and  is  no  longer  mistress.”1 

Not  a little  to  the  surprise  of  the  Court,  Madame  de 
Montespan  seemed  resolved  to  accept  the  situation  with 
a good  grace.  “ All  is  very  quiet  here,”  she  writes  to 
her  friend,  Marechal  de  Noailles  ; “ the  King  only  comes 
into  my  apartments  after  mass  and  after  supper.  It  is 
much  better  to  see  each  other  seldom  with  pleasure  than 
often  with  embarrassment.”  2 Nevertheless,  we  learn  from 
Madame  de  Scudery’s  letters  to  Bussy-Rabutin  that, 
although  the  ex-favourite  appeared  resigned  to  her  fate 
in  public,  she  was  reported  to  be  shedding  bitter  tears  in 
the  privacy  of  her  apartments,  and  that  there  had  been 
a long  and  heated  conversation  between  her  and  the 
King  in  the  Orangerie  at  Versailles,  during  which  the 


nose  and  said  it  was  revealed  to  him  that  the  King’s  hand  would  cure 
him.  And  at  the  first  coming  of  King  Charles  II.  into  St.  James’s 
Park  he  kissed  the  King’s  hand  and  rubbed  his  nose  with  it,  which  dis- 
turbed the  King,  but  cured  him.  Mr.  Ashmole  told  it  me.” 

1 Correspondence  de  Bussy-Rabutin,  iv.  344.  A brevet  of  April  11, 
1679,  accorded  to  Madame  de  Montespan  “ the  same  honours,  rank, 
precedence,  and  other  privileges  which  Duchesses  enjoy.”  The  most 
important  privilege  was  that  of  being  seated  in  the  royal  presence.  It 
should  be  noted  that  she  did  not  receive  the  title,  as  Mademoiselle  de 
La  Valli£re  and  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges  did.  So  long  as  her 
husband  lived,  she  was  compelled  to  remain  “ marquise .” 

2 Quoted  in  Clement’s  Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIV.,  p.  251. 

224 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


latter  was  heard  to  remark  that  “ he  was  being  tormented 
over  much  and  was  weary  of  it.”  1 

As  for  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges,  little  was  seen  or 
heard  of  her  for  some  months.  “ Never  have  the  King’s 
amours  been  carried  on  more  secretly  than  this  Fontanges 
affair,  ’ writes  Bussy  to  Trichateau,  on  August  3.  “ It  is 

not  even  known  where  she  is  lodged,  though  it  is  believed 
to  be  above  the  King’s  apartments.”  He  expresses  his 
opinion  that  this  privacy  cannot  last  much  longer,  and  a 
few  weeks  later  we  hear  that  the  King  is  “ desperately 
in  love  ” ; that  workmen  are  being  employed  day  and 
night  preparing  a magnificent  suite  of  apartments  for 
the  reception  of  the  new  sultana,2  and  that  the  latter  is 
likely  to  obtain  “ all  the  favours  which  the  other  two 
enjoyed,  and  more  besides.” 

Gradually  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges  began  to  take  a 
more  prominent  place  at  Court,  where  she  astonished  every 
one  by  her  arrogance  and  ostentation.  She  drove  about 
in  a magnificent  coach  drawn  by  eight  horses  (Madame 
de  Montespan  had  been  content  with  six) ; she  presented 
herself  at  the  King’s  mass  on  New  Year’s  Day,  “extra- 
ordinarily adorned  with  diamonds,  over  a dress  made 
from  the  same  material  as  that  of  her  Majesty  ” ; 3 she 
passed  in  front  of  the  Queen  without  curtseying  to  or 
even  taking  the  slightest  notice  of  her.  Honours  and 
riches  were  showered  upon  her  and  her  relatives.  She 
was  created  a duchess,  with  a pension  in  proportion  to  her 

1 Letters  of  Madame  de  Scudery  to  Bussy-Rabutin,  June  18  and 
September  25,  1679. 

2 One  night,  the  painters,  on  going  away,  left  the  doors  open,  and 
two  tame  bears  belonging  to  Madame  de  Montespan,  which  were  allowed 
to  roam  about  at  will,  got  in  and  did  a great  deal  of  damage.  Next  day 
it  was  said  that  the  bears  had  avenged  their  mistress. 

3 Letter  of  Bussy  to  La  Riviere,  January  1 5,  1680. 

225 


p 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


rank  ; one  of  her  sisters  was  appointed  Abbess  of  Chelles, 
just  as  Madame  de  Montespan  had  been  made  Abbess  of 
Fontevrault ; another  received  on  her  marriage  a dowry 
of  400,000  livres  from  the  King  ; people  hastened  to  solicit 
her  good  offices  with  his  Majesty  ; and  the  capricious  La 
Fontaine,  who  only  a year  before  had  dedicated  to  her 
predecessor  in  the  royal  favour  his  second  collection  of 
Fables , addressed  to  her  an  “ Epistle  ” in  which  he  styled 
her  “ digne  present  des  cieux  ” and  besought  her  to  present 
his  verses  “ au  dompteur  des  humains."  1 

Bitterly  mortified  though  she  undoubtedly  was  at  the 
triumphs  of  her  rival,  Madame  de  Montespan  for  a time 
contrived  to  disguise  her  feelings,  and  “ the  two  sultanas,” 
as  Bussy  calls  them,  appeared  to  live  on  amicable  terms. 
On  New  Year’s  Day,  1680,  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges 
made  magnificent  presents  to  the  ex-favourite  and  all  her 
children  ; and  two  months  later  the  new  divinity  appeared 
at  a ball  at  Monsieur's  house,  at  Villers-Cotterets,  “ in 
great  brilliance  and  adorned  by  the  hands  of  Madame  de 
Montespan.” 2 But  when,  at  the  beginning  of  April, 
Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges  was  created  a duchess,  the 
haughty  woman  could  restrain  herself  no  longer. 
“ Madame  de  Montespan  is  enraged,”  writes  Madame 
de  Sevigne  to  her  daughter,  in  the  same  letter  in  which 

1 Here  are  the  opening  lines  : — 

“ Charmant  objet,  digne  present  des  cieux, 

(Et  ce  n’est  point  langage  du  Parnasse), 

Votre  beaute  vient  de  la  main  des  dieux ; 

Vous  l’allez  voir  au  recit  que  je  trace. 

Puissent  mes  vers  meriter  tant  de  grace 

Que  d’etre  offerts  au  dompteur  des  humains, 

Accompagnes  d’un  mot  de  votre  bouche, 

Et  presentes  par  vos  divines  mains.” 

2 Letter  of  Madame  de  Sevigne  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  March  6, 1 680. 

226 


. • I /')  i K! 


MARIE  ANGELIOUE  D’ESCORAILLES  DE 
ROUSSILLE 


(Duchesse  de  Fontanges) 

From  an  Engraving  after  the  Painting  h\  Mjgnard 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


she  announces  the  elevation  of  the  new  favourite  ; “ she 
wept  bitterly  yesterday.  You  can  imagine  what  a mar- 
tyrdom this  is  to  her  pride.”  And  the  marchioness  adds: 
“ It  is  rendered  still  more  bitter  by  the  high  favour  which 
Madame  de  Maintenon  enjoys.”  1 

Nothing,  indeed,  is  more  curious,  at  first  sight,  than 
the  relations  which  existed  between  Madame  de  Maintenon 
and  Louis  XIV.  during  the  period  when  the  latter  was 
believed  to  be  the  slave  of  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges. 
One  would  naturally  have  supposed  that,  while  engaged 
in  this  intrigue,  the  monarch  would  have  had  but  little 
inclination  for  the  society  of  a lady  whose  reprobation  of 
unchastity  was  so  notorious,  and  who  had  not  hesitated 
to  remonstrate  with  him  on  his  connection  with  Madame 
de  Montespan,  rather  late  in  the  day,  it  is  true,  but  none 
the  less  warmly.  The  very  reverse  was  the  case.  When, 
at  the  end  of  the  year  1679,  the  Household  of  the 
Dauphiness-elect  (the  Dauphin  was  betrothed  to  Marie 
Anne  of  Bavaria,  and  the  marriage  was  to  take  place  in 
the  following  February)  was  chosen,  it  was  announced 
that  a second  dame  d'atour  was  to  be  appointed,  and 
Madame  de  Maintenon  was  nominated.  The  appoint- 
ment of  a second  dame  d'atour  was  an  entirely  new 
departure,  and  no  one  doubted  that  the  idea  had  ori- 
ginated with  the  King,  with  the  object  of  placing  in  an 
independent  position  the  lady  whose  companionship  was 
evidently  becoming  more  and  more  necessary  to  him. 
From  that  moment  the  progress  of  the  zx-gouvernante  in 
her  sovereign’s  good  graces  was  rapid  in  the  extreme,  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  for  some  months  longer  Louis’s 
passion  for  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges  remained  at  a 
high  temperature.  “ Madame  de  Maintenon  grows  daily 

1 Madame  de  Sevigne  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  April  6,  1680. 

227 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


more  in  favour,”  writes  Madame  de  Sevign6,  on  March  30, 
1680.  “Nothing  now  but  perpetual  conversations  be- 
tween her  and  the  King,  who  gives  all  the  time  he  used 
to  bestow  on  Madame  de  Montespan  to  Madame  la 
Dauphine.”  And  a fortnight  later : “ His  Majesty 
frequently  spends  two  hours  at  a time  in  Madame  de 
Maintenon’s  apartments,  conversing  in  so  friendly  and 
natural  a manner  as  to  make  it  the  most  desirable  spot  in 
the  world.” 

The  explanation  of  this  apparent  enigma  was,  as  a 
matter  of  fact,  a very  simple  one.  Mademoiselle  de 
Fontanges  was  merely  a pretty  doll,  whose  beauty  gratified 
the  King’s  senses,  but  with  whom  he  had  not  a thought 
or  taste  in  common;  who  was,  indeed,  so  ignorant  that  her 
lover  “ seemed  quite  ashamed  whenever  she  opened  her 
lips  in  the  presence  of  a third  person.” 1 From  her 
childish  caprices  and  vapid  chatter  Louis  turned  with  a 
sense  of  positive  relief  to  the  society  of  Madame  de 
Maintenon,  whose  natural  charm  was  heightened  by 
contrast  with  the  youthful  maitresse  declaree.  In  her  he 
found  a woman  “ always  modest,  always  mistress  of 
herself,  always  reasonable,”  2 and  who  joined  to  these  rare 
qualities  the  attractions  of  wit  and  conversation ; who, 
in  short,  opened  to  him,  as  Madame  de  Sevigne  aptly 
expresses  it,  a new  country — the  intercourse  of  a sincere 
and  unreserved  friendship,  in  which  he  experienced  every 
day  a keener  pleasure. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1680,  Mademoiselle  de 
Fontanges  bore  her  royal  lover  a child,  who,  however, 
only  survived  a few  days.  Owing  to  the  unskilfulness 
of  the  surgeons  who  attended  her,  and  who,  it  may  be 

1 Souvenirs  et  Correspondance  de  Madame  de  Caylus  (edit.  1889),  p.  29. 

2 Ibid. 


228 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


mentioned,  received  a fee  of  no  less  than  100,000  livres 
for  their  services,  her  confinement  proved  all  but  fatal ; 
and  though  she  recovered  sufficiently  to  return  to  Court, 
it  was  not  long  before  her  health  began  to  give  way  ; and 
with  the  decline  of  her  health  her  beauty  waned  also. 

This  was  Madame  de  Maintenon’s  opportunity,  and  we 
may  be  sure  she  did  not  fail  to  take  advantage  of  it- 
Religious  arguments,  which  would  have  had  but  small 
effect  upon  Louis  so  long  as  his  mistress  retained  her 
dazzling  loveliness,  presented  themselves  in  a very  different 
light  when,  in  place  of  the  brilliant  girl  who  had  once 
bewitched  him,  he  found  a pale,  sickly  woman,  no  longer 
strong  enough  to  follow  him  on  his  royal  progresses  to 
Flanders  and  elsewhere  or  to  take  her  former  part  in  the 
gaieties  of  the  Court.  She  had  always  bored  him,  had  this 
poor,  silly  child  without  an  idea  in  her  pretty  head  beyond 
dress  and  luxury ; now  that  she  no  longer  appealed  even 
to  his  senses,  he  became  absolutely  indifferent  to  her.  So 
conscience  and  inclination  joined  hands,  and  slowly  but 
surely  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges  dropped  out  of  his  life. 

No  sooner  did  she  perceive  that  the  star  of  her  rival 
was  beginning  to  wane,  than  Madame  de  Montespan’s 
hopes  revived,  and  she  returned  to  the  field,  “ horse,  foot, 
and  artillery”;  and  for  some  weeks  a sort  of  triangular 
duel  was  waged  for  the  possession  of  the  royal  favour 
between  her,  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges,  and  Madame 
de  Maintenon ; the  first  striving  to  recover  what  she  had 
lost,  the  second,  to  retain  the  sceptre  which  was  slipping 
from  her  grasp,  the  third,  to  push  the  advantage  which 
she  had  lately  gained  still  further  ; while  every  move  in 
the  game,  every  phase  of  the  struggle,  was  watched  with 
almost  breathless  interest  by  the  lynx-eyed  courtiers,  as 
the  correspondence  of  the  time  abundantly  testifies. 

229 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


“I  have  just  heard,”  writes  Bussy  to  Trichateau,  on 
May  1 8,  “that  the  day  the  King  left  for  Saint-Germain, 
as  he  was  entering  his  coach  with  the  Queen,  some  angry 
words  passed  between  him  and  Madame  de  Montespan 
about  the  perfumes  which  she  always  uses,  and  which 
make  his  Majesty  ill.1  The  King  spoke  to  her  at  first 
with  courtesy,  but  as  she  replied  with  a good  deal  of 
tartness,  his  Majesty  grew  warm.  For  my  part,  I do  not 
think  that  she  will  remain  long  at  Court.  When  lovers, 
after  having  broken  with  one  another,  do  not  remain 
friends,  they  generally  go  to  the  other  extreme.”  The 
next  day  Trichateau  reports  that  the  King  had  given 
Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges  “unmistakable  proofs  that 
he  finds  her  worthy  of  his  love,”  and  that  he  evidently 
regarded  her  recent  illness  “ as  a wound  received  in  his 
service.”  Then,  on  the  25th  of  the  month,  Madame 
de  Sevigne  writes : “ The  other  day  there  was  a sharp 
quarrel  between  the  King  and  Madame  de  Montespan. 
M.  Colbert  endeavoured  to  bring  about  a reconciliation, 
but  could  with  difficulty  prevail  upon  his  Majesty  to 
partake  of  medianoche  with  her,  as  usual.  It  was  only  on 
condition  that  every  one  else  should  be  admitted.” 

From  the  same  writer  we  glean  some  highly  interest- 
ing information  with  regard  to  the  fortunes  of  the  third 
candidate  for  the  monarch’s  favour  : — 

“ June  5. — The  credit  of  Madame  de  Maintenon  still 
continues.  The  Queen  accuses  her  of  being  the  cause  of 
the  separation  between  her  and  Madame  la  Dauphine. 

1 Anne  of  Austria  had  used  perfumes  to  excess,  and  the  King  when  a 
boy  had  imbibed  a strong  antipathy  to  them.  He  declared  that  this 
weakness  on  the  part  of  his  mother  was  responsible  for  the  violent 
headaches  to  which  he  was  subject,  and  would  not  allow  his  personal 
attendants  to  use  scent  of  any  kind. 

230 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

The  King  has  comforted  her  for  this  disgrace.  She  goes 
to  visit  him  every  day,  and  their  conversations  are  of  a 
length  which  give  rise  to  numberless  conjectures.” 

“ June  9. — Madame  de  Maintenon’s  favour  is  constantly 
increasing,  while  that  of  Madame  de  Montespan  is  visibly 
declining.” 

“ June  20.— I am  told  that  the  conversations  between 
his  Majesty  and  Madame  de  Maintenon  are  becoming 
more  frequent  and  more  prolonged  ; that  they  last  from 
six  o’clock  until  ten ; that  the  daughter-in-law  (the 
Dauphiness)  occasionally  pays  her  a short  visit ; that  she 
finds  them  each  sitting  in  an  easy  chair;  and  that  they 
resume  the  thread  of  their  conversation  as  soon  as  she 
leaves.  My  friend  (Madame  de  Coulanges)  informs  me 
that  no  one  any  longer  approaches  the  lady  but  with  fear 
and  respect,  and  that  the  Ministers  render  her  the  same 
homage  as  other  people.” 

“ June  30. — I have  had  a letter  from  Madame  de 
Coulanges  in  which  she  tells  me  that  the  other  day  the 
King  spent  three  hours  in  Madame  de  Maintenon’s  apart- 
ments, the  lady  being  indisposed  with  a headache ; that 
Pere  de  La  Chaise  visits  her ; that  Mademoiselle  de 
Fontanges  is  continually  weeping  because  she  is  no  longer 
beloved,  and  that  the  most  splendid  establishments  are 
powerless  to  soothe  her  grief.” 

At  the  beginning  of  July,  it  would  appear  that  a cabal 
had  been  formed  by  Madame  de  Montespan,  “ who  was 
ready  to  die  with  mortification  at  the  influence  obtained 
by  wit  and  conversation,”  against  the  zx-gouvernante,  and 
that  rumours  reflecting  upon  that  lady’s  early  career  were 
floating  about,  for  Madame  de  Sevigne  inquires  of  her 
daughter,  “ Could  she  (Madame  de  Maintenon)  suppose 
that  people  would  always  remain  in  ignorance  of  the  first 

231 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


volume  of  her  life  ? while  Madame  de  Maintenon  her- 
self writes  to  her  brother  : “ They  are  enraged  against  me, 
and,  as  you  say,  will  stop  at  nothing  in  order  to  injure 
me.  If  they  fail,  we  shall  laugh  at  them  ; and  if  they 
succeed,  we  shall  suffer  with  courage.”2 

Finding  that  her  attempt  to  discredit  her  rival  with 
the  King  was  unlikely  to  succeed,  Madame  de  Montespan, 
if  we  are  to  believe  Madame  de  Caylus,  next  endeavoured 
to  inspire  his  Majesty  with  a passion  for  her  niece,  the 
beautiful  Duchesse  de  Nevers,  “ in  order  to  preserve  the 
royal  favour  in  her  own  family.”3  Madame  de  Caylus 
is  one  of  those  chroniclers  whose  statements,  especially 
where  their  enemies  are  concerned,  it  is  usually  wise  to 
accept  with  reservation ; but,  in  the  present  instance,  the 
charge  seems  to  be  confirmed  by  a passage  in  a letter  of 
Madame  de  Sevigne:  “The  King  went  the  other  day 
to  Versailles  with  Madame  de  Montespan,  Madame  de 
Thianges,  and  Madame  de  Nevers,  who  was  so  covered 
with  flowers  that  Madame  de  Coulanges  says,  ‘ Flora  is  a 
fool  to  her.’  Mon  Dieu!  how  dangerous  such  a jaunt 
would  be  to  a man  who  had  anything  of  the  libertine  in 
his  composition  ! ” 

But  the  intrigue,  if  intrigue  there  really  was,  failed  of 
its  purpose  ; and  the  same  letter  informs  us  that  “ people 
were  amazed  at  the  degree  of  favour  which  Madame  de 
Maintenon  was  enjoying,  and  that  no  friend  could  show 
more  regard  to  another  than  did  the  King  to  her.”4 
A few  days  later,  the  King  and  Queen  set  out  on  a 
royal  progress  to  Flanders, and  both  Madame  de  Montespan 

1 Letter  of  July  7,  1680. 

2 Correspondance  generate,  ii.  114. 

3 Souvenirs  de  Madame  de  Caylus  (edit.  1889),  p.  67. 

4 Madame  de  Sevigne  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  July  17,  1680. 

232 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


and  Madame  de  Maintenon  accompanied  the  Court.  As 
for  poor  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges,  she  was  far  too 
unwell  to  stand  the  fatigues  of  the  journey,  and  sorrow- 
fully wended  her  way  to  Chelles,  to  pass  the  time  until 
the  Court’s  return  with  her  sister,  the  abbess.  Madame 
de  Sevigne  jests  at  her  discomfiture  : “ You  have  been 
diverted  by  the  person  who  was  wounded  ‘ in  the  service  ’ 
(of  the  King),”  she  writes  to  her  daughter.  “ She  is  so 
much  so  that  she  is  believed  to  be  qualified  for  admission 
to  the  Hotel  des  Invalides.”  And  in  another  letter  : 
“ Madame  de  Fontanges  has  started  for  Chelles.  She 
has  four  coaches  drawn  by  six  horses,  her  own  has  eight. 
All  her  sisters  are  with  her,  but  there  was  an  air  of  gloom 
over  the  whole  party  which  inspired  pity  ; the  fair  one 
pale  and  wan,  changed  with  loss  of  blood  and  over- 
whelmed with  grief,  despising  40,000  ecus  a year  and  the 
tabouret , 1 which  she  has,  and  wishing  for  health  and  the 
King’s  heart,  which  she  has  lost.”1 2 

Some  weeks  later,  we  hear  of  her  at  the  consecration  of 
her  sister  as  Abbess  of  Chelles,  on  which  occasion  she  was 
so  ill  that  she  came  to  the  ceremony  “ in  a robe  de  chambre , 
a mob-cap,  and  a shawl,”  and  went  back  to  bed  immedi- 
ately it  was  over.3  She  reappeared  at  Versailles  at  the  end 

1 The  stool  on  which  a duke  or  duchess  was  allowed  to  sit  in  the 
royal  presence. 

2 Letters  of  July  14  and  July  17,  1680. 

3 Letter  of  Madame  de  Scudery  to  Bussy-Rabutin,  August  28,  1680. 
Madame  de  Sevigne  relates  an  amusing  anecdote  in  connection  with  this 
ceremony.  The  splendour  of  the  ritual,  the  exquisite  music,  the 
incense,  and  the  number  of  bishops  who  officiated,  so  impressed  a good 
country  lady  that  she  could  not  help  exclaiming,  “ Surely  I am  in 
Paradise!”  Whereupon  a wag,  who  sat  near  her,  remarked,  “Pardon 
me,  Madame,  but  there  are  not  so  many  bishops  there.” — Letter  of 
September  17,  1680. 


233 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


of  August,  to  meet  the  King  on  his  return  from  Flanders, 
but  if  she  had  anticipated  any  return  of  tenderness  on  the 
part  of  her  quondam  adorer,  she  was  speedily  undeceived, 
as  Louis  treated  her  with  marked  coldness  and  paid  her 
nothing  but  formal  visits,  lasting  a few  minutes. 

The  total  discomfiture  of  poor  Mademoiselle  de 
Fontanges  left  Madame  de  Montespan  and  Madame  de 
Maintenon  face  to  face  ; and  the  Court,  believing  that 
the  critical  moment  had  arrived,  was  fairly  bubbling 
over  with  excitement.  But,  little  as  the  quidnuncs  of 
Versailles  suspected  it,  the  contest  was  already  decided. 
During  the  King’s  absence  in  Flanders  events  had  oc- 
curred which  had  effectually  extinguished  any  chance 
which  Madame  de  Montespan  might  have  possessed  of 
recovering  her  ascendency. 


234 


CHAPTER  XVI 


V Affaire  des  Poisons — The  warning  of  the  penitentiaries  of 
Notre-Dame — A mysterious  note — La  Reynie,  the  Lieutenant 
of  Police — Arrest  of  Louis  de  Vanens — Maitre  Perrin’s  story 
— The  police  set  a trap— And  Marie  Bosse  falls  into  it — 
Arrest  of  Marie  Bosse  and  La  Vigoureux — Arrest  of  La  Voisin 
— Sketch  of  her  career — La  Fontaine’s  verses  upon  her — Her 
magnificent  robes — Her  confederates,  Lesage  and  the  Abb6 
Guibourg — General  consternation — The  Chambre  Ardente 
is  constituted — Its  composition  and  procedure  — Trial  ot 
Madame  Philbert — She  is  found  guilty  and  condemned  to 
death — Trial  of  Madame  de  Poulaillon— A lenient  sentence 
— Scandalous  miscarriages  of  justice  in  the  cases  of  Madame  de 
Dreux  and  Madame  Leferon — Members  of  the  noblest  families 
in  France  compromised — Louis  XIV.  connives  at  the  escape 
of  several  persons  of  high  rank — The  trial  of  Marechal  de 
Luxembourg  affords  some  welcome  comic  relief — Harsh 
treatment  of  the  Marshal — Amusing  incidents  at  the  trial  of 
the  Duchesse  de  Bouillon — Her  reply  to  La  Reynie — The 
King  exiles  her — The  Chambre  demands  the  arrest  of  the 
Comtesse  de  Soissons — Warned  by  the  King,  she  escapes  to 
Flanders — Charge  against  Racine  of  having  poisoned  his 
mistress,  the  actress  Du  Parc — Louis  XIV.  urges  the  judges 
to  do  justice,  “without  distinction  of  person,  rank,  or  sex” — 
Execution  of  La  Voisin — Examination  of  her  daughter. 
Marguerite  Monvoisin — And  of  Romani  and  Bertrand — The 
King  orders  the  evidence  of  these  persons  to  be  withheld  from 
the  judges — Confessions  of  Lesage  and  Filastre — Louis  XIV. 
suddenly  suspends  the  sittings  of  the  Chambre  Ardente — Why  ? 

About  the  year  1673,  the  penitentiaries  of  Notre-Dame 
informed  the  police  authorities  that  the  majority  of  the 

235 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


women  who  had  confessed  to  them  for  some  time  past 
accused  themselves  of  poisoning  some  one.  This  warning, 
strange  to  say,  does  not  appear  to  have  made  much  im- 
pression upon  the  police,  and  even  the  famous  case  of 
Madame  de  Brinvilliers,  the  prelude  to  the  terrible  drama 
which  was  about  to  send  a shudder  through  Europe,  left 
them  still  unmoved.  They  evidently  inclined  to  the 
belief  that  the  crimes  of  this  fiendish  woman  were  merely 
such  as  from  time  to  time  occur  even  in  the  most  law- 
abiding  communities,  and  were  not  to  be  regarded  as  in 
any  way  typical  of  the  state  of  public  morality. 

In  September  1677,  fourteen  months  after  Brinvilliers 
had  expiated  her  crimes  in  the  Place  de  Greve,  informa- 
tion was  received  that  a note  had  been  found  in  the  con- 
fessional of  the  Jesuit  church  in  the  Rue  Saint-Antoine, 
revealing  a plot  to  poison  the  King  and  the  Dauphin. 
This  would  seem  to  have  been  a false  alarm,  as  no  evi- 
dence was  subsequently  forthcoming  that  any  such  thing 
was  contemplated,  but  it  had  the  effect  of  rousing  the 
police  to  activity,  and  the  sleuth-hounds  of  the  law  were 
at  once  set  to  work. 

The  recently-created  post  of  Lieutenant  of  Police 
was,  fortunately  for  the  ends  of  justice,  filled  by  an  official 
whose  name  deserves  to  be  held  in  honour  for  all  time, 
one  Gabriel  Nicolas  de  La  Reynie,  a man  of  great  ability 
and  spotless  integrity,  and  absolutely  fearless  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duties.  If  he  had  been  slow  to  move, 
very  possibly  because  he  had  not  been  allowed  a free 
hand,  he  now  showed  himself  indefatigable  in  his  efforts 
to  sift  the  matter  to  the  very  bottom,  and  in  the  following 
December  caused  the  arrest  of  a certain  Louis  de  Vanens, 
who  had  formerly  held  a commission  in  the  army  and  was 
on  terms  of  intimacy  with  many  distinguished  people  at 

236 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Court,  Madame  de  Montespan  among  the  number. 
The  papers  seized  on  him  and  on  his  mistress,  a woman 
called  Finette,  brought  to  light  a gang  of  alchemists, 
coiners,  and  magicians  whose  ramifications  extended  into 
all  classes  of  society.  It  was  an  important  capture,  as,  in 
addition  to  his  manipulation  of  the  coin  of  the  realm, 
Vanens  was  subsequently  found  to  be  hand  in  glove  with 
the  Poisoners,  and  there  can  be  little  doubt  that  he  had 
taken  part  in  bringing  about  the  death  of  Charles 
Emmanuel  II.,  Duke  of  Savoy,  who  had  died  under 
highly  suspicious  circumstances  in  June  1 6 7 5 ; 1 but 
towards  the  close  of  1678  it  was  followed  by  two 
arrests,  which  enabled  La  Reynie  to  lay  his  hand  upon 
an  infinitely  more  dangerous  association. 

An  advocate  in  small  practice,  Maitre  Perrin  by  name, 
came  to  Desgrez,  a smart  detective  officer  who  had  dis- 
tinguished himself  in  the  Brinvilliers  affair,  and  told  him 
that  on  the  previous  day  he  had  been  dining  in  the  Rue 
Courtauvilain  with  a certain  Madame  Vigoureux,  the  wife 
of  a ladies’  tailor  ; that  among  the  company,  who  were 
very  merry,  was  a woman  called  Marie  Bosse,  a well- 
known  devineresse  or  fortune-teller  ; that  this  Marie  Bosse 
in  her  cups  had  begun  to  boast  of  the  profits  of  her  trade 
and  of  the  grand  people  she  numbered  among  her  clients, 
and  had  wound  up  by  remarking,  '■'‘Another  three  poisonings, 
and  I shall  be  able  to  retire  with  my  fortune  made  ! ” The 
majority  of  the  company,  he  added,  had  laughed  heartily, 
believing  that  the  woman’s  words  were  merely  a drunken 
jest,  but  he  had  seen,  by  the  angry  looks  which  his  hostess 

1 The  principal  agent  in  causing  the  Duke’s  death  was  Charles  II.’s 
friend,  Count  de  Castelmelhor,  whom  the  Duchess  of  Savoy  (nee 
Marie  de  Nemours)  honoured  with  her  affection.  Vanens  was  believed 
to  have  been  one  of  his  accomplices. 

237 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


had  darted  at  the  speaker,  that  there  was  something 
serious  in  them. 

Desgrez  was  evidently  of  the  same  opinion,  for  he 
immediately  despatched  the  wife  of  one  of  his  archers  to 
Marie  Bosse,  with  a trumped-up  story  about  a cruel 
husband  whom  she  desired  to  get  rid  of.  The  devineresse 
fell  headlong  into  the  trap  prepared  for  her;  told  the 
woman  to  call  again,  and,  when  she  did  so,  gave  her  a 
phial  of  liquid,  which  her  pretended  client  promptly 
handed  to  the  police.  The  phial  was  found  to  contain  a 
deadly  poison  ; and  Marie  Bosse  and  Madame  Vigoureux 
were  forthwith  arrested.1  An  Order  in  Council  of 
January  io,  1679,  instructed  La  Reynie  to  proceed  against 
these  women  and  their  accomplices ; and,  two  months 
later,  the  police  effected  another  capture,  the  importance 
of  which  can  hardly  be  overestimated — that  of  Catherine 
Deshayes,  the  wife  of  Antoine  Monvoisin,  a peddling 
jeweller  of  Villeneuve-sur-Gravois. 

This  woman,  usually  known  as  La  Voisin,  was  one  of 
the  greatest  criminals  known  to  history,  and  the  state  of 
affairs  which  her  trial  and  that  of  her  accomplices  brought 
to  light  the  most  appalling  that  the  imagination  can 
possibly  conceive.  “ Human  life  is  publicly  trafficked 
in,”  wrote  the  Lieutenant  of  Police.  “ Death  is  almost 
the  only  remedy  employed  in  family  embarrassments  ; 
impieties,  sacrileges,  abominations  are  common  practices 
in  Paris,  in  the  surrounding  country,  in  the  provinces.” 

It  was  the  failure  of  her  husband,  who  had  a shop  on 
the  Pont-Marie,  that  had  first  led  La  Voisin  “to  devote 
herself  to  cultivating  the  powers  that  God  had  given  her,” 
as  she  expressed  it.  She  was  skilled  in  cheiromancy,  and 
appears  to  have  made  a profound  study  of  physiognomy, 

1 Ravaisson’s  Archives  de  la  Bastille , iv.  157. 

238 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


an  elaborate  treatise  on  which  was  found  among  the 
papers  seized  at  her  house.  She  was  also  an  expert 
psychologist,  and  thus  was  able  to  give  a real  foundation 
to  her  sorcery. 

Belief  in  magic  and  witchcraft  was  at  this  period  well- 
nigh  universal  ; even  such  men  as  Bossuet  were  firmly 
persuaded  of  the  efficacy  of  sorcery,  while  those  who 
openly  expressed  their  incredulity  were  looked  upon  as 
little  better  than  atheists.  Not  only  the  common  people, 
but  the  bourgeoisie  and  the  nobility  were  as  ignorant  and 
as  grossly  superstitious  as  in  the  Middle  Ages.1  As  La 
Voisin’s  fame  spread,  people  of  all  sorts  and  conditions 
flocked  to  her  house — youths  barely  out  of  their  teens 
begging  her  for  some  charm  to  soften  the  hearts  of  their 
mistresses  or  to  bend  the  opposition  of  some  stern  parent ; 
women  of  mature  years,  whose  lovers  had  neglected  them 
for  fresher  charms,  seeking  her  aid  to  compel  their  faith- 
less paramours  to  return  to  them  ; impatient  heirs  to 
inquire  when  they  might  hope  to  inherit  the  fortunes  they 
coveted  ; young  wives  anxious  for  the  demise  of  elderly 
husbands.  Well  did  La  Fontaine  write  of  her: — 

“ Une  femme  A Paris  faisait  la  pythonisse  : 

On  l’allait  consulter  sur  chaque  evenement  : 

Perdait-on  un  chiffon,  avait-on  un  amant, 

Un  mari  vivant  trop  au  gre  de  son  epouse, 

Une  mere  facheuse,  une  epouse  jalouse, 

1 See  Dr.  Lucien  Nass’s  Les  Empoisonnements  sur  Louis  XIV.,  chap.  i. 
Superstition  was,  of  course,  equally  prevalent  in  other  countries. 
M.  Ravaisson  says  that  about  this  time  a performing  horse,  such  as  may 
now  be  seen  in  almost  any  circus,  was  burnt  alive  by  the  Inquisition 
in  Spain  “as  a pupil  of  the  devil”;  while  a man  named  Brioche,  an 
exhibitor  of  marionettes,  so  astonished  the  simple  Swiss  that  they 
wanted  to  burn  him  as  a magician,  and  he  had  great  difficulty  in 
escaping  the  hands  of  the  executioner. 

239 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Chez  la  devineresse  on  courait 

Pour  se  faire  annoncer  ce  que  l’on  desirait.”1 

No  expense  was  spared  by  the  sorceress  in  order  to 
impress  her  clients.  She  was  accustomed  to  deliver  her 
oracular  sayings  clothed  in  a magnificent  robe,  the  skirt 
of  which  was  edged  with  the  finest  point  de  France , and  a 
cloak  “ of  crimson  velvet  studded  with  205  two-headed 
eagles  of  fine  gold  and  lined  with  costly  fur.2  Even  her 
shoes  were  embroidered  with  golden  two-headed  eagles.” 

La  Voisin’s  principal  assistant  was  a man  called  Lesage, 
who  was  her  lover,  or  rather  one  of  her  lovers,  for  she 
was  noted  for  her  gallantry.3  His  real  name  was  Adam 
Coeuret,  and  he  appears  to  have  been  at  one  time  a wool 
merchant,4  but  soon  abandoned  that  prosaic  calling  for 
the  more  profitable  one  of  a magician.  He  had  a remark- 
able talent  for  jugglery,  by  means  of  which  he  duped  not 
only  the  people  who  came  to  avail  themselves  of  his  art, 
but  even  the  witches  with  whom  he  worked.  One  of  his 
favourite  tricks  was  to  write  his  clients’  requests  to 
the  “ Spirit  ” — as  the  devil  was  called — in  notes,  which 
he  then  enclosed  in  balls  of  wax  and  pretended  to 
throw  into  the  fire.  Some  days  later  he  would  give  them 

1 According  to  M.  Ravaisson,  La  Fontaine  was  at  one  time  on  friendly 
terms  with  La  Voisin. 

2 M.  Funck-Brentano’s  Le  Drame  des  Poisons , p.  118.  The  author, 
who  has  the  bills  of  the  maker  in  his  possession,  says  that  the  cloak  and 
robe,  which  were  specially  woven  for  her,  cost  15,000  livres,  and  that 
the  mere  weaving  of  the  eagles  on  the  cloak  cost  4.00  livres. 

3 Among  those  upon  whom  she  bestowed  her  favours  were  Andre 
Guillaume,  the  executeur  de  la  haute  justice , who  had  executed  Madame 
de  Brinvilliers  and  narrowly  escaped  having  to  perform  the  same  office 
upon  La  Voisin  herself,  the  Comtes  de  Cousserans  and  de  Labatie,  and 
the  architect  Fauchet. 

4 Voltaire  says  that  he  had  been  a priest,  but  this  is  incorrect. 

240 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


back  the  notes,  saying  that  the  “ Spirit,”  who  had  received 
them  through  the  flames,  had  returned  them. 

A far  more  terrible  coadjutor  was  the  infamous  Abb6 
Guibourg,  the  sacristan  of  Saint-Marcel  at  Saint-Denis, 
who  claimed  to  be  an  illegitimate  offshoot  of  the  Mont- 
morency family  and  had  formerly  been  chaplain  to  the 
Comte  de  Montgommery.  At  the  time  of  his  arrest  he  was 
about  seventy  years  of  age ; his  face  was  red  and  bloated 
with  drink  ; “ prominent  blue  veins  formed  a network  on 
his  cheeks,”  and  he  was  afflicted  with  a most  horrible  squint. 
Such  was  the  monster  whose  name  will  ever  be  associated 
with  the  unspeakable  abominations  of  the  “ black  mass.”  1 

La  Voisin,  like  all  the  sorceresses,  practised  medicine, and 
had  besides  an  intimate  knowledge  of  poisons.2 3  She  soon 
found,  as  she  confessed  to  La  Reynie,  that  the  majority 
of  those  who  came  to  consult  her  wished  “to  be  ridded 
of  some  one,”  but  at  first  she  hesitated  to  assist  them  to 
obtain  their  object,  probably  through  fear  of  the  conse- 
quences if  she  were  detected ; it  could  hardly  have  been 
from  any  qualms  of  conscience.  Her  hesitation,  however, 
did  not  last  long,  and  once  embarked  upon  this  horrible 
traffic  she  found  it  so  lucrative  that  she  seems  to  have 
devoted  nearly  the  whole  of  her  time  to  it. 

1 The  “black  mass”  will  be  found  fully  described  in  the  Introduction 
to  volume  iv.  of  M.  Ravaisson’s  Archives  de  la  Bastille ; in  M.  Funck- 

Brentano’s  he  Drame  des  Poisons ; or  in  M.  Huysmans’s  Ld-bas.  For 
reasons  which  the  reader  will  no  doubt  appreciate,  we  refrain  from 
describing  it  here. 

3 Dr.  Lucien  Nass,  in  his  learned  work,  Les  Empoisonnements  sur 
Louis  XIV.,  treats  exhaustively  of  the  poisons  then  in  vogue.  Arsenic, 
it  appears,  was,  as  it  continued  to  be  till  the  end  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  the  “ King  of  Poisons”;  but  opium  and  antimony  were  also 
largely  used,  and  La  Voisin  is  believed  to  have  frequently  employed  a 
preparation  made  from  hemlock. 


24» 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


In  spite  of  the  notoriety  which  they  enjoyed,  La  Voisin, 
La  Bosse,  La  Vigoureux,  and  their  fellow-sorceresses,  of 
whom  the  most  formidable  was  a woman  called  Fran^oise 
Filastre,  were  very  careful  to  conceal  the  real  nature 
of  their  operations.  Their  art  apparently  consisted  in 
drawing  horoscopes,  cheiromancy,  clairvoyancy,  the  cure 
of  nervous  maladies,  the  vending  of  aids  to  beauty,  and 
so  forth,  which  accounts  for  the  fact  that  their  nefarious 
practices  remained  so  long  unsuspected. 

As  may  readily  be  imagined,  the  consternation  of  the 
authorities  on  discovering  that  such  frightful  crimes  were 
rampant  in  their  midst  was  unbounded ; and  their  alarm 
was  intensified  by  the  fact  that  at  this  period  the  ignor- 
ance of  pathology  and  chemistry  was  such  that  even  the 
ablest  physicians  were,  as  a rule,  incapable  of  detecting 
traces  of  poison  in  a corpse.  The  King  shared  the 
general  horror  and  indignation,  and  gave  orders  that  no 
stone  should  be  left  unturned  to  bring  the  criminals  to 
justice,  and  in  order  to  avoid  the  cumbersome  procedure 
of  the  ordinary  courts,  and  at  the  same  time  to  ensure 
greater  secrecy,  it  was  resolved  to  entrust  the  matter  to 
a special  commission,  composed  of  the  elite  of  the  Coun- 
cillors of  State,  presided  over  by  Louis  Boucherat,  after- 
wards Chancellor,  with  La  Reynie  and  Bazin  de  Bezons 
of  the  Academy1  as  examining-commissioners.2 

1 Elected  in  1643,  at  the  age  of  twenty-six,  on  the  death  of  Chancellor 
Seguier.  He  was  the  first  Academician  todeliver  an  addressat  his  reception. 

2 The  names  of  the  other  judges  were  Louis  de  Breteuil,  formerly 
Comptroller-General  ; Daniel  Voisin  ; Gaspard  de  Fieubet;  Michel  Le 
Pelletier  ; Pomereu  de  La  Bretesche,  afterwards  Intendant  of  Brittany  ; 
Bernard  de  Fortia,  formerly  Intendant  of  Auvergne  ; d’Argouges ; 
Andre  Le  Fevre  d’Ormesson,  afterwards  Intendant  of  Lyons  ; and 
Antoine  Turgot,  a very  learned  person,  who  subsequently  wrote  an 
account  of  the  proceedings  in  Latin  verse. 

242 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


This  court  was  called  the  Chambre  Ardente,  not,  as 
several  writers  have  supposed,  because  it  had  power  to 
condemn  persons  to  the  stake,  but  because  in  former 
days  tribunals  specially  constituted  to  deal  with  extra- 
ordinary crimes  sat  in  a chamber  hung  with  black  and 
lighted  by  torches  and  candles.1 

The  procedure  was  as  follows  : — 

The  persons  arrested  2 were,  on  the  requisition  of  the 
j -procureur-general , brought  before  La  Reynie  and  Bezons, 
who,  after  examining  them,  drew  up  a detailed  report  to 
be  submitted  to  the  court.  The  court  then  decided 
whether  there  was  sufficient  evidence  to  justify  a remand. 
If  there  was,  they  issued  a warrant  to  that  effect,  and 
the  trial  followed  in  due  course.  When  all  the  witnesses 
had  been  heard,  the  procureur-general  proceeded  to  sum 
up  in  favour  of  acquittal  or  condemnation,  the  accused 
was  heard  for  the  last  time,  and  the  court  pronounced 
judgment,  from  which  there  was  no  appeal.  It  was  not 
necessary  for  the  judges  to  be  unanimous  ; a bare  majority 
was  sufficient  to  decide  the  fate  of  the  prisoner. 

In  order  to  understand  more  readily  what  we  shall  pre- 
sently relate,  it  will  be  as  well  for  the  reader  to  bear  in  mind 
two  facts : first,  that  as  the  examinations  conducted  by 
La  Reynie  and  Bezons  were  in  private,  their  colleagues  had 
no  knowledge  whatever  of  what  took  place  beyond  the 
official  report  which  was  subsequently  submitted  to  them  ; 
and,  secondly,  that  the  commissioners  in  question  would 
appear  to  have  received  private  instructions  from  the 

1 Lc  Mercurc  galant,  April  1679,  p.  336. 

2 They  were  arrested  by  lettre  de  cachet;  that  is  to  say,  by  royal 
warrant.  The  Chambre  had  no  power  to  arrest  any  one  on  its  own 
authority.  Owing  to  this  circumstance,  as  we  shall  see,  more  than  one 
person  managed  to  effect  his  escape. 

243 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


King  that  in  the  event  of  anything  of  unusual  importance 
occurring,  as,  for  instance,  the  denunciation  by  one  of 
the  prisoners  of  a person  of  high  rank,  they  should 
communicate  with  him  before  laying  the  evidence  before 
the  court. 

The  Chambre  Ardente  met  for  the  first  time  on 
April  io,  1679,  in  the  hall  of  Arsenal.  From  that  date 
until  July  21,  1682,  when  it  was  dissolved,  it  held  210 
sittings,  after  having  been  suspended,  for  reasons  which 
will  be  explained,  from  October  1,  1680,  to  May  19,  1681. 

“The  Chambre  Ardente,”  says  M.  Funck-Brentano, 
“ deliberated  on  the  fate  of  442  accused  persons  and 
ordered  the  arrest  of  367  of  them.  Of  the  arrests,  218 
were  sustained.  Thirty-six  persons  were  condemned  to 
the  extreme  penalty,  torture  ordinary  and  extraordinary  1 

1 There  were  two  kinds  of  question — the  preparatory , which  was 
inflicted  on  the  accused  during  examination  to  make  him  admit  the 
crime  with  which  he  was  charged  ; and  the  preliminary , to  which 
persons  condemned  to  death  were  subjected,  in  order  to  oblige  them 
to  reveal  their  accomplices.  The  preliminary  consisted  of  two  parts,  the 
ordinary  and  the  extraordinary , the  latter  being,  as  a rule,  twice  as 
severe  as  the  former.  As  for  the  methods  of  torture  in  vogue,  these 
varied  in  different  parts  of  France.  At  Autun  boiling  oil  was  used  ; in 
Normandy  the  thumb-screw  ; while  in  Brittany  fire  was  applied  to  the 
feet.  But  in  Paris  the  question  aux  brodequins  (the  “ boot  ”)  and  the 
question  a I'eau  (the  water  torture)  were  generally  employed.  The 
“boot”  was  used  in  England  and  Scotland,  but  the  question  a I'eau 
seems  to  have  been  peculiar  to  France.  The  method  of  operating  was 
as  follows  : Cords  were  attached  to  the  victim’s  arms  and  feet,  and 
fastened  to  iron  rings  in  the  walls  of  the  torture-chamber,  in  such  a way 
that  he  was  suspended  in  the  air  in  a horizontal  position.  Enormous 
quantities  of  water  were  then  introduced  into  the  stomach  through  a 
funnel  placed  between  the  teeth.  This,  rapidly  accumulating  within 
the  body,  occasioned  the  most  terrible  agony.  Madame  de  Brinvilliers 
was  subjected  to  this  punishment. — See  Bingham’s  “ Bastille  ” and 
Rousse’s  Justice  criminelle. 

2 4+ 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


and  execution ; two  of  them  died  a natural  death  in 
gaol ; five  were  sent  to  the  galleys  ; twenty-three  were 
exiled  ; but  the  majority  had  accomplices  in  such  high 
places  that  their  cases  were  never  carried  to  an  end.”  1 
The  first  person  of  any  note  to  be  compromised  by  the 
confessions  of  the  prisoners  was  Madame  Philbert,  the 
wife  of  the  fashionable  flutist  of  that  name.  Before 
wedding  the  musician,  she  had  been  the  consort  of  a 
wealthy  wholesale  tradesman  called  Brunet,  who  was 
passionately  fond  of  music  and  kept  open  house  for  all 
who  were  able  to  gratify  his  tastes  in  that  direction. 
The  fascinating  Philbert  soon  became  one  of  the  most 
frequent  guests,  a sort  of  ami  de  famille , in  short, 
though  his  relations  with  Madame  appear  to  have  been 
rather  more  than  friendly.  For  some  time  matters  went 
on  with  great  satisfaction  to  all  parties  concerned,  the 
flute-player  delighting  the  husband  with  his  dulcet  strains 
and  making  love  to  the  wife,  and  might  have  continued 
thus  for  an  indefinite  period  had  not  the  unsuspecting 
Brunet,  in  an  evil  hour,  offered  his  daughter,  plus  a 
handsome  dot,  to  the  musician.  The  latter,  who,  like 
Bohemians  all  the  world  over,  spent  his  money  as  fast 
as  he  earned  it,  was  by  no  means  unwilling  to  espouse  so 
well-dowered  a young  lady,  and  after  consulting  apostolic 
notaries,  who  informed  him  that,  for  a consideration,  it 
would  be  possible  to  obtain  canonical  letters  which  would 
enable  him  to  wed  with  a clear  conscience,  accepted 
M.  Brunet’s  offer.  Madame  Brunet,  however,  was  by 
no  means  disposed  to  surrender  her  lover,  and  having 
vainly  endeavoured  to  turn  him  from  his  purpose,  sought 
out  La  Voisin,  whom  she  assured  that  “ if  she  had  to  do 
penance  for  ten  years,  it  was  necessary  that  God  should 

1 Le  Drame  ties  Poisons,  p.  132. 

245 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


carry  off  Brunet,  her  husband,  for  she  could  not  endure 
to  see  Philbert,  whom  she  loved  to  distraction,  in  the 
arms  of  her  daughter.”  Whether  La  Voisin  undertook 
this  case  or  not  is  uncertain  ; if  she  did,  she  must  have 
bungled  it,  for  it  was  her  fellow-sorceress,  Marie  Bosse, 
who,  for  the  sum  of  2000  livres,  provided  the  lady  with 
the  means  of  obtaining  her  freedom. 

Brunet  dead,  the  flute-player’s  feelings  towards  the 
daughter  underwent  a change,  and,  “ on  the  advice  of  his 
friends,”  he  decided  to  wed  the  widow,  which  he  accord- 
ingly did,  the  King  himself  signing  the  marriage- contract. 

On  May  15,  1679,  the  Chambre  condemned  Madame 
Philbert  to  be  hanged  and  her  body  to  be  cast  into  the 
flames.  A request  to  be  allowed  to  see  her  husband  and 
children  for  the  last  time  was  refused.  The  flute- 
player,  who  had  meanwhile  surrendered  to  take  his  trial, 
was  acquitted  of  all  complicity  in  the  affair,  and,  on  his 
release,  became  a greater  favourite  with  the  ladies  than 
ever;  so  much  so,  we  are  told,  that  he  was  positively 
embarrassed  by  their  attentions.1 

The  rigorous  sentence  passed  upon  Madame  Philbert 
aroused  in  La  Reynie  and  other  lovers  of  justice  hopes 
which,  unfortunately,  were  not  destined  to  be  realised. 
The  flute-player’s  wife  had  had  no  friends  among  the 
judges;  no  one  was  interested  in  saving  her  from  the 
penalty  of  her  crime,  but  it  was  far  otherwise  when  the 
wives  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  long  robe — ladies  with 
whom  they  had  danced,  and  dined,  and  supped,  and 
possibly  made  love  to — began  to  appear  before  the  court. 

A fortnight  after  the  execution  of  Madame  Philbert,  a 
certain  Madame  de  Poulaillon,  an  extremely  pretty  young 
woman,  scarcely  more  than  a girl,  was  arraigned.  Her 

1 Archives  de  la  Bastille , v.  367. 

246 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


case  presented  all  the  elements  necessary  for  a domestic 
comedy,  or  tragedy,  in  the  seventeenth  century — a young 
and  foolish  wife,  an  elderly  and  wealthy  husband,  and  a 
needy  and  unscrupulous  lover,  one  La  Riviere  by  name, 
who  was  a natural  son  of  the  Bishop  of  Langres,  but  had 
the  impudence  to  style  himself  the  “ Marquis  de  La 
Riviere.”  Madame  de  Poulaillon  had  been  in  the  habit 
of  supplying  the  gallant,  “ who  had  a wonderful  talent 
for  getting  money  out  of  ladies,”  with  funds,1  until  her 
husband  became  suspicious  and  cut  down  the  handsome 
allowance  he  had  hitherto  been  in  the  habit  of  making 
her.  Madame  thereupon  proceeded  to  sell  the  plate,  the 
furniture — “ the  big  gilded  bed,  upholstered  in  English 
watered  silk  ” — and  even  Monsieur’s  clothes.  Poulaillon 
retaliated  by  stopping  the  allowance  altogether  and 
bought  his  wife’s  gowns  himself,  all  of  which  the  lady 
promptly  sold  or  pledged  and  handed  the  proceeds  to  her 
lover. 

With  the  reduction  of  supplies  the  ardour  of  the 
soi-disant  marquis  perceptibly  cooled,  upon  which  Madame 
de  Poulaillon,  in  despair  of  losing  him  altogether,  de- 
termined to  get  the  inconvenient  husband  out  of  the 
way.  Her  first  idea  was  to  have  him  kidnapped,  but, 
failing  to  find  any  one  to  carry  out  her  plan,  she  had 
recourse  to  Marie  Bosse,  whom  she  interviewed  in  the 
Carmelite  church  in  the  Rue  du  Bouloi — a strange  place 
for  such  negotiations  ! The  young  woman  pleaded  for 
something  which  would  do  the  work  at  once  ; but  the 
sorceress,  who  favoured  more  gradual  methods,  because  in 

1 The  r61e  of  homme  entretenti  was  then  quite  the  accepted  thing 
among  young  men  of  fashion,  and  excited  neither  astonishment  nor 
disgust.  The  custom  had,  indeed,  become  so  widespread  that  Bourdaloue 
felt  compelled  to  denounce  it  from  the  pulpit. 

247 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


that  case  suspicion  was  less  likely  to  be  aroused,  persuaded 
her  to  exercise  patience.  So  it  was  decided  to  employ 
arsenic.  The  wretched  husband’s  shirts  were  to  be 
washed  in  arsenic  j1  arsenic  was  to  be  put  in  the  lavements 
then  in  general  use ; 2 arsenic  was  to  be  mixed  with  his 
soup  and  with  his  wine.  Four  thousand  livres  was  to  be 
paid  to  the  sorceress  for  her  deadly  concoctions,  and  the 
conspirators  went  home  well  satisfied  with  their  day’s 
work.  Poulaillon,  however,  was  warned  by  an  anonymous 
letter — possibly  there  had  been  an  unseen  listener  to  the 
conference  in  the  Carmelite  Church — and  the  plot  came 
to  nothing.  A like  result  awaited  a subsequent  attempt 
on  the  part  of  the  lady  to  have  her  husband  murdered  by 
hired  bravoes,  who,  after  agreeing  to  do  as  she  desired, 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  it  would  be  equally  profitable 
and  a good  deal  safer  to  inform  Poulaillon,  who  thereupon 
very  sensibly  shut  his  wife  up  in  a convent  and  laid  an 
information  before  the  Chatelet.3 

1 The  poisoned  shirt  was  one  of  the  most  diabolical  of  these  hags’ 
inventions.  For  its  effects,  see  Dr.  Lucien  Nass’s  Les  Empoisonnements 
sur  Louis  XIV.,  p.  38  et  seq. 

2 The  lavement  intoxique  is  believed  to  have  been  used  with  deadly 
effect  in  numbers  of  cases.  Dr.  Lucien  Nass  thinks  that  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  many  of  the  apothecaries  of  Paris  were  in  league  with 
the  Poisoners. 

3 As  soon  as  he  learned  of  the  arrest  of  Madame  de  Poulaillon,  the 
fascinating  La  Riviere,  who  was  the  cause  of  all  the  trouble,  fled  to 
Burgundy,  where  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Bussy-Rabutin  and  his 
widowed  daughter,  Madame  de  Coligny,  who  lived  with  him.  Learning 
that  the  widow  was  “richly  left,”  the  rascal  consoled  her  to  such  good 
purpose  that  she  signed  a promise  in  her  blood  to  marry  him  “whenever 
it  should  please  him.”  La  Riviere  waited  until  Bussy  had  departed  on 
a visit  to  Paris,  and  then  called  upon  the  lady  to  fulfil  her  engagement  ; 
and  when  the  count  returned  he  found  that  he  had  gained  a son-in-law. 
Having,  during  his  visit  to  the  capital,  picked  up  a good  deal  of 

248 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


The  evidence  against  Madame  de  Poulaillon  was  so 
damning  that  the  procureur-general  had  no  hesitation  in 
demanding  the  extreme  penalty — torture  and  death. 
But,  alas  for  justice  ! The  prisoner  was  so  very  pretty, 
and  exhibited  during  her  trial  such  extraordinary  fortitude 
and  so  much  contrition,  that  the  judges  were  touched,  and, 
after  deliberating  together  for  four  hours,  decided  to 
commute  the  death-sentence  upon  which  they  had  at  first 
agreed  to  one  of  banishment  from  Paris. 

Some  excuse  might  possibly  be  made  for  the  reluctance 
of  the  court  to  condemn  Madame  de  Poulaillon,  inas- 
much as  her  murderous  designs  had  failed ; but  no  such 
plea  was  available  in  two  other  cases — those  of  Mesdames 
de  Dreux  and  Leferon — which  came  before  the  Chambre 
in  the  following  spring. 

Madame  de  Dreux  was  the  wife  of  a maitre  des  requites, 
and  is  described  as  a lady  of  great  beauty  and  “of  infinite 
charm  and  distinction.”  She  was  proved  to  have  poisoned 
at  least  three  persons;  to  have  offered  La  Voisin  “2000 
ecus,  a ring,  and  a diamond  cross  ” to  make  away  with 
her  husband,  and  to  have  endeavoured  to  put  an  end 
to  Madame  de  Richelieu,  the  wife  of  one  of  her  lovers, 
by  sorcery.  Nevertheless,  the  judges,  with  two  of  whom, 
it  is  interesting  to  note,  the  lady  claimed  relationship, 

information  about  the  gentleman  in  question,  he  was  naturally  furious, 
and  threatened  “to  beat  the  life  out  of  La  Riviere  with  his  cane”  ; but 
the  latter  prudently  kept  out  of  his  way.  In  process  of  time  disillusion 
came  to  the  love-lorn  Madame  de  Coligny,  or  rather  “ Marquise  ” de 
La  Riviere,  and  she  and  her  father  appealed  to  the  Chatelet  to  dissolve 
the  union,  on  the  ground  of  some  irregularity  in  the  marriage-contract. 
The  husband  resisted,  however,  and  would  only  consent  to  surrender 
his  conjugal  rights  on  condition  of  receiving  a handsome  allowance,  on 
which  he  lived  in  luxury  for  the  rest  of  his  days. — Archives  de  la  Bastille , 
v.  1 6 1,  note  ; Correspondance  de  Bussy-Rabutin,  iv.,  appendix. 

249 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


contented  themselves  with  admonishing  her.  Madame  de 
Dreux  took  this  admonition  so  much  to  heart  that  no 
sooner  had  she  been  set  at  liberty,  than  she  applied  to  a 
sorceress  called  La  Joly,“an  abandoned  woman,  who  carried 
on  an  extensive  business  {i.e.  in  poisoning  and  sorcery),” 
for  poison  to  get  rid  of  a lady  upon  whom  M.  de  Richelieu 
had  cast  a favourable  eye.  Fortunately  for  the  intended 
victim,  La  Joly  was  arrested  before  her  client  had  found 
an  opportunity  of  carrying  out  her  design,  and,  as  a result 
of  her  admissions,  a fresh  warrant  was  issued  against 
Madame  de  Dreux,  who,  however,  was  warned  in  time, 
doubtless  by  one  of  the  friendly  judges,  and  contrived  to 
effect  her  escape.  A year  or  two  later  she  was  allowed 
to  return  to  Paris,  on  condition  that  her  husband  should 
be  responsible  for  her  future  conduct.1 

A miscarriage  of  justice  hardly  less  scandalous  than  the 
above  was  perpetrated  in  the  case  of  Madame  Leferon, 
who  also  belonged  to  judicial  society,  being  the  wife  of 
the  president  of  the  first  court  of  enquetes , “ an  excellent 
judge  and  a good  and  disinterested  man.”  Madame 
Leferon  had  already  passed  her  fiftieth  year  when  she 
conceived  a violent  passion  for  a young  gentleman  named 
De  Prade,  a member  of  the  profession  of  which  the 
“ Marquis  ” de  La  Riviere  was  so  distinguished  an  orna- 
ment, and  determined  to  substitute  him  for  the  worthy 
president  with  as  little  delay  as  need  be.  With  this 
end  in  view,  she  consulted  La  Voisin,  and  at  the  begin- 
ning of  September  1669  found  herself  free  to  marry 
again.  “ Madame  Leferon,”  said  La  Voisin  on  the  day 
of  her  execution,  “ came  to  me  overwhelmed  with  joy  at 
being  a widow,  and  when  I asked  her  if  the  phial  of  liquid 
had  taken  effect,  she  replied,  ‘ Effect  or  not,  he  is  done 

1 Archives  de  la  Bastille,  vi.  207  note,  460  and  465. 

250 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


for  ( creve ).”  1 Shortly  afterwards  she  married  De  Prade ; 
but,  inasmuch  as  she  very  quickly  discovered  that  the 
young  man  cared  only  for  her  money,  their  wedded  life 
was  a brief  and  stormy  one,  and  it  is  probable  that  the 
new  husband  would  have  shared  the  fate  of  his  prede- 
cessor had  he  not  had  the  good  fortune  to  discover  his 
wife’s  amiable  intentions  towards  him  and  leave  France. 
Although  not  a shadow  of  doubt  existed  as  to  this 
woman’s  guilt,  the  only  punishment  awarded  her  was 
banishment  from  Paris  and  a fine  of  1500  livres  ! 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  affair  had  begun  to  assume 
alarming  proportions.  The  operations  of  the  sorceresses 
had  by  no  means  been  confined  to  the  city ; the  Court 
was  equally  besmirched,  and  members  of  the  noblest 
families  in  France  were  implicated.  Among  them  may 
be  mentioned  the  famous  Marechal  de  Luxembourg ; the 
Comtesse  de  Soissons  (Olympe  Mancini),  Louis  XIV. ’s 
first  love;  her  sister,  the  Duchesse  de  Bouillon  (Marie 
Anne  Mancini) ; the  Princesse  de  Tingry,  dame  du  ■palais 
to  the  Queen ; the  Marquise  d’Alluye,  the  Comtesse  du 
Roure,  the  Comte  de  Clermont-Lodeve,  the  Comtesse 
de  Polignac,  the  Marquis  de  Cessac,  the  Marquis  de 
Feuquieres,  and  Marechale  de  La  Ferte,  the  lady  whose 
reputed  offspring  had  provided  the  King  with  the  pre- 
cedent which  enabled  him  to  legitimate  the  children 
of  Madame  de  Montespan.  In  several  cases,  notably  in 
that  of  the  Comtesse  de  Soissons,  Louis  XIV.,  in  order 
to  avoid  scandal,  warned  the  culprits  that  their  misdeeds 
had  been  brought  to  light  and  thus  gave  them  time  to 
effect  their  escape,  though  it  is  only  fair  to  say  that  he 
punished  them  himself  by  declining  to  allow  them  to 

1 Proces-verbal  d 'execution  de  La  P oisin,  Archives  de  la  Bastille , 

vi.  1 8 1. 

251 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


return  to  Court  or  Paris  and,  when  the  charges  against 
them  were  very  grave,  even  to  recross  the  frontier ; but 
Mardchal  de  Luxembourg,  the  Duchesse  de  Bouillon,  and 
one  or  two  others  were  compelled  to  stand  their  trial. 

Luxembourg,  in  all  probability,  owed  his  arrest  to  the 
malice  of  Louvois,  who  hated  the  hunchback  general 
almost  as  much  as  he  had  formerly  hated  Turenne. 
When  he  learned  of  the  decree  which  had  been  launched 
against  him  by  the  Chambre,  the  marshal  sought  an 
audience  with  the  King,  and  then,  after  spending  an  hour 
with  Pere  de  La  Chaise,  went  to  the  Bastille  and  sur- 
rendered himself.  If  we  are  to  believe  the  reports  which 
were  current  and  which  have  been  handed  down  to  us  by 
Madame  de  Sevigne,  the  hero  of  so  many  hard-fought 
fields  behaved  in  anything  but  an  heroic  manner  on  this 
occasion,  weeping,  wringing  his  hands,  crying  out  that  he 
had  forsaken  God  and  that  God  was  now  forsaking  him, 
and  so  forth.  “ Ce  nest  pas  mente  une  femme,"  writes  the 
lady  contemptuously ; “ c'est  une  femmelette" 

The  marshal’s  trial  supplies  some  welcome  comic  relief 
to  the  grisly  drama  before  us.  Apart  from  an  unfounded 
charge  of  poisoning  a commissioner  from  the  War  Office 
who  had  just  taken  his  receipt  for  a large  sum  of  money 
for  the  payment  of  the  troops,  which  resulted  in  the 
witnesses  being  promptly  sent  to  the  galleys  for  perjury, 
the  accusations  brought  against  him  were  ludicrous  to  the 
last  degree,  though  probably  they  were  not  so  regarded 
at  a time  when  belief  in  sorcery  was  so  prevalent.  He 
had,  it  appears,  employed  the  magician  Lesage  to  beg  the 
“Spirit”  to  bring  about  his  son’s  marriage  with  the 
daughter  of  his  enemy  Louvois  (this,  doubtless,  partially 
accounted  for  the  War  Minister’s  persecution  of  the 
marshal) ; to  enable  him  to  gain  battles  to  efface  the 

252 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


memory  of  his  failure  to  relieve  Philipsburg  in  1676; 
“ to  do  something  ” to  the  disadvantage  of  Marechal  de 
Cr6qui ; to  remove  his  wife 1 and  the  governor  of  a 
province  whose  office  he  coveted  ; and  to  cause  that  his 
steward,  who  had  offended  him,  should  be  hanged.  All 
these  requests  and  a number  of  others  were  carefully 
written  down  by  the  marshal  on  sheets  of  paper  and 
handed  to  Lesage,  who  made  them  up  into  little  balls, 
covered  them  with  wax,  and  then  pretended  to  throw 
them  into  the  fire,  whence,  he  assured  his  distinguished 
client,  they  would  be  duly  transmitted  to  the  infernal 
regions.2 

There  was  no  evidence  that  either  Luxembourg  or 
Lesage  had  taken  any  steps  against  the  persons  mentioned 
in  the  former’s  requests ; they  had  been  content  to  leave 
everything  to  the  discretion  of  the  “ Spirit,”  and  after 
remaining  fourteen  months  in  the  Bastille — part  of  the 
time  being  passed,  according  to  Voltaire,  in  “a  kind 
of  dungeon  six  and  a half  feet  long  ” — the  marshal  was 
released  and  eventually  restored  to  his  offices. 

A strong  touch  of  comedy  likewise  marked  the  exami- 
nation of  the  Duchesse  de  Bouillon,  “ who  went  and 
asked  La  Voisin  for  a little  poison  to  get  rid  of  a tiresome 
old  husband  that  she  had,  and  a nostrum  to  enable  her 
to  espouse  a young  man  with  whom  she  was  in  love.”  3 
The  young  man  in  question  was  the  Due  de  Vendome, 
who  accompanied  the  duchess  to  the  Arsenal,  holding 

1 Marie  Charlotte  Bonne  Ther£se  de  Clermont-Tonnerre  de  Luxem- 
bourg. She  had  brought  her  husband  the  duchy  of  Luxembourg 
and  a considerable  fortune  ; “ but  she  was  ugly  and  infirm,  and  M.  de 
Luxembourg  could  not  endure  her.” 

3 Declaration  de  Lesage , Archives  de  la  Bastille,  vi.  495  et  seq. 

* Letter  of  Madame  de  S6vign6,  January  31,  1680, 

253 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


her  left  hand,  while  the  elderly  husband  supported  her 
on  the  other  side,  and  a crowd  of  the  nobility  followed 
to  show  their  sympathy.  Madame  de  Bouillon,  we  are 
told,  entered  the  court  “like  a little  queen,”  sat  down  on 
a chair  that  had  been  placed  for  her,  and  instead  of 
replying  to  the  first  question,  asked  to  be  allowed  to 
enter  a formal  protest  against  the  authority  of  the 
Chambre,  declaring  that  she  had  only  attended  out  of 
deference  to  the  King’s  command  and  not  to  that  of  the 
court,  which  she  refused  to  recognise,  “ as  she  declined 
to  allow  any  derogation  to  the  ducal  privilege.” 1 She 
refused  to  answer  any  questions  until  this  had  been  taken 
down  by  the  clerk  of  the  court ; then  she  removed  her 
glove  and  “disclosed  a very  beautiful  hand,”  and  the 
examination  began. 

“ Do  you  know  La  Vigoureux  ? ” 2 
“ No.” 

“ Do  you  know  La  Voisin  ? ” 

“ Yes.” 

“ Why  did  you  want  to  do  away  with  your  husband  ? ” 
“ I do  away  with  my  husband  ? Why,  you  have  only 
to  ask  him  if  he  thinks  so ! He  gave  me  his  hand  to 
this  very  door  ! ” 

“ But  why  did  you  go  so  often  to  La  Voisin’s  house?  ” 
“ I wanted  to  see  the  Sibyls  and  prophetesses  she 
promised  to  show  me ; such  a company  would  have  been 
well  worth  all  my  journeys.”  Then,  after  denying  that 

1 The  ducal  privilege  consisted  in  being  tried  by  all  the  courts 
united  in  the  Parliament.  Luxembourg  had  recognised  the  jurisdiction 
of  the  Chambre  Ardente  and  thus  set  a precedent,  against  which  the 
duchess’s  plea  was  of  no  avail. 

3 The  question  probably  was,  11  Did  you  know  La  Vigoureux?” 
La  Vigoureux  had  died  under  torture  some  months  before  the  Duchesse 
de  Bouillon’s  examination  took  place. 

254 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


she  had  ever  shown  La  Voisin  a bag  full  of  money,  she 
inquired  with  a mocking  and  disdainful  air  ? 

“ Well,  Messieurs,  is  that  all  you  have  to  say  to  me  ? ” 

“Yes,  Madame,”  was  the  reply;  upon  which  the 
duchess  rose  and  left  the  court,  remarking  as  she  did  so, 
“ Really,  I should  never  have  believed  that  men  of  sense 
could  ask  so  many  foolish  questions.”  1 

Voltaire  relates  an  amusing  passage  of  arms  between 
the  duchess  and  La  Reynie,  in  which  the  latter  got 
decidedly  the  worst  of  the  encounter. 

“Did  you  ever  see  the  devil  at  La  Voisin’s  house,  since 
you  went  there  to  meet  him  ? ” inquired  the  Lieutenant 
of  Police. 

“ Monsieur,”  replied  the  lady,  “ I see  him  here  at  this 
very  moment.  He  is  disguised  as  a judge,  and  very  ugly 
and  villainous  he  looks.” 

The  questioner  proceeded  no  further.2 

The  charges  against  the  Duchesse  de  Bouillon  were, 
nevertheless,  very  serious,  and  it  was  certainly  no  fault  of 
hers  that  the  tiresome  old  husband  was  still  alive  to  bore 
her.  She  had  actually  administered  poison  which  she  had 
obtained  from  La  Vigoureux  to  the  old  gentleman,  but 
without  effect,  after  which,  fortunately  for  him,  she 
apparently  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  was  poison- 
proof,  and  applied  to  Lesage  to  cause  his  death  by  magic. 
The  King,  hearing  that  she  had  had  the  temerity  to  boast 
of  having  baffled  the  judges,  exiled  her  to  Nerac,  but  she 
was  allowed  to  return  to  Court  some  years  later. 

Less  fortunate  was  her  sister,  the  Comtesse  de  Soissons, 
who,  as  we  have  mentioned,  was  one  of  those  at  whose 

' Letter  of  Madame  de  Sevign6  to  Madame  de  Grignan,  January  31, 
1680. 

s Voltaire’s  Slide  de  Louis  XIV. 

255 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


escape  from  justice  Louis  XIV.  had  connived.  Evidence 
was  forthcoming  that  just  before  her  exile  in  1666  she 
was  in  treaty  with  La  Voisin  for  the  purpose  of  having 
both  Madame  de  La  Valli^re  and  the  King  poisoned  ; 
while  there  were  other  grave  charges  against  her,  among 
them  one  of  causing  the  death  of  a person  in  Savoy.  She 
was  also  suspected,  probably  unjustly,  of  having  poisoned 
her  husband,  who  had  died  suddenly  some  years  before. 
The  Chambre,  no  doubt  influenced  by  Louvois,  who  saw 
in  the  prosecution  of  the  countess  an  opportunity  of 
annoying  Colbert,  whose  friend  she  was,  demanded  her 
arrest.  The  King,  however,  delayed  sending  the  necessary 
warrant  for  a couple  of  days,  and,  in  the  meanwhile, 
despatched  the  Due  de  Bouillon,  her  brother-in-law,  to 
the  lady  to  offer  her  the  choice  between  the  Bastille 
and  exile.  Madame  de  Soissons  chose  the  latter  alterna- 
tive, and  in  the  early  hours  of  the  following  morning 
(February  24,  1680)  set  out  for  Flanders,  accompanied 
by  her  friend  and  confidante,  Madame  d’Alluye,  whose 
apprehension  had  also  been  demanded  by  the  court. 

The  news  of  the  charges  againt  the  countess  had 
evidently  preceded  her,  for  at  Namur,  Antwerp,  and 
several  other  towns  she  was  refused  admittance,  the 
people  crying  out,  “ We  want  no  poisoners  here.”  At 
Brussels,  the  capital  of  the  Spanish  Netherlands,  the 
authorities  did  not  dare  to  shut  their  gates  against  a 
princess  connected  by  marriage  with  the  Court  of 
Madrid ; but  the  populace  evinced  their  hostility  in  an 
unmistakable  manner,  and  rendered  the  lady’s  stay  among 
them  far  from  a pleasant  one.1  After  remaining  some 

1 Madame  de  Sdvigne  relates  an  extraordinary  story,  which  she  had 
from  the  Due  de  La  Rochefoucauld,  the  son  of  the  author  of  the 
Maxima  One  day,  soon  after  her  arrival  at  Brussels,  Madame  de 

256 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


years  at  Brussels,  Madame  de  Soissons  went  to  Spain, 
where  Saint-Simon  accuses  her  of  having  poisoned  the 
Queen,1  in  a glass  of  milk,  at  the  instigation  of  Count 
Mansfeld,  the  Austrian  Ambassador.2  But  though  the 
Queen’s  death  certainly  gave  rise  to  grave  suspicions, 
there  is  no  evidence  to  connect  the  countess  with  it. 
Madame  de  Soissons’s  later  years  were  spent  at  Brussels, 
where  she  died  in  1708.  To  the  end  of  her  life  she  was 
kept  under  the  closest  police  surveillance,  and  the  leading 
members  of  the  French  colony  were  strictly  prohibited 
from  visiting  her. 

A more  famous  name  than  any  of  those  which  we 
have  mentioned,  at  least  in  the  eyes  of  posterity,  was 
compromised  by  one  of  the  depositions  of  La  Voisin.  In 
1668,  that  is  to  say  eleven  years  before  the  Chambre 
Ardente  began  its  investigations,  the  actress  Du  Parc,3 
mistress  of  the  celebrated  poet  Racine,  had  died  under 
somewhat  suspicious  circumstances.  The  conduct  of 
Racine  on  this  occasion  had  aroused  a good  deal  of 

Soissons  went  to  church.  As  she  was  entering  the  building,  she  was 
recognised,  whereupon  a number  of  people  rushed  out,  collected  all  the 
black  cats  they  could  find,  tied  their  tails  together,  and  brought  them, 
howling  and  spitting,  into  the  porch,  crying  out  that  they  were  devils 
who  were  following  the  countess. 

1 Marie  Louise  d’Orleans,  Monsieur's  daughter  by  the  ill-fated 
Henrietta  of  England.  She  married  Charles  II.  of  Spain. 

2 Memoires  du  Due  de  Saint-Simon  (edit.  1881),  xvii.  185. 

3 Marguerite  Therise  de  Gorla,  wife  of  an  actor  called  Du  Parc, 
whose  stage  name  was  Gros-Rene.  Du  Parc  was  perhaps  the  best, 
and  undoubtedly  the  most  vtrsatile,  actress  of  her  time,  equally 
successful  in  tragedy  and  comedy,  and  an  accomplished  and  graceful 
dancer.  She  was  also  an  extremely  beautiful  woman,  and  her  toilettes 
were  the  envy  and  admiration  of  all  the  ladies  of  Paris.  Before 
becoming  the  mistress  of  Racine,  she  had  rejected  the  overtures  of 
Moli£re,  Corneille,  and  La  Fontaine. 

257 


R 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

unfavourable  comment  among  the  relatives  and  friends 
of  the  lady,  the  poet  having  stationed  himself  at  her  bed- 
side and  refused  admission  to  more  than  one  person  whom 
the  dying  actress  had  expressed  a desire  to  see.  Among 
those  who  by  his  orders  were  excluded  from  the  sick- 
room was  .La  Voisin,  who  had  been  on  very  intimate 
terms  with  Du  Parc  for  several  years.  In  her  examina- 
tion on  November  21,  1679,  the  sorceress  made  a state- 
ment to  the  effect  that  “ Racine,  having  secretly  espoused 
Du  Parc,  was  jealous  of  everybody,  and  particularly  of 
her  (La  Voisin),  and  that  he  had  made  away  with  Du 
Parc  by  poison  on  account  of  his  extreme  jealousy  ; that 
during  her  illness  he  never  quitted  her  bedside  ; that  he 
drew  a valuable  diamond  from  her  finger,  and  had  also 
stolen  the  jewellery  and  principal  effects  of  Du  Parc, 
which  were  worth  a great  deal  of  money.”  She  added 
that  Madame  de  Gorla,  Du  Parc’s  stepmother,  had  been 
her  informant.1  Asked  if  Madame  de  Gorla  had  told 
her  the  manner  in  which  the  poisoning  had  been  carried 
out,  and  who  had  been  Racine’s  accomplice,  she  answered 
that  she  had  not.2 

M.  Larroumet,  Racine’s  latest  biographer,  dismisses 
this  charge  lightly  enough  as  “ the  abominable  invention 
of  a ruined  woman,”3  and  M.  Loiseleur  says  much  the 
same.4  M.  Funck-Brentano,  on  the  other  hand,  for  whose 
opinions  we  have  a very  great  respect,  takes  a much  more 
serious  view  of  the  matter,  and  remarks,  and  with  reason, 
that  it  is  inconceivable  that  La  Voisin  should  have 
nursed  a grievance  against  Racine  for  not  having  allowed 

1 Madame  de  Gorla  had  since  died. 

2 Interrogatoire  de  La  Voisin,  Archives  de  la  Bastille,  vi.  50  et  seq. 

3 M.  Larroumet’s  Racine,  p.  92. 

4 M.  Loiseleur’s  Les  Trois  Anigmes  historiques. 

258 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


her  access  to  his  sick  mistress  to  such  an  extent  as  to 
fabricate  against  him  eleven  years  later  so  monstrous  an 
accusation.  If  La  Voisin  had  wanted  to  ruin  Racine,  she 
would  have  formulated  precise  and  direct  charges  against 
him,  instead  of  merely  repeating  rumours  which  had 
reached  her  ears.  He  adds : “ The  examinations  to 
which  La  Voisin  was  subjected  were  very  numerous. 
They  brought  to  light  innumerable  details  on  a multitude 
of  crimes,  implicating  a very  large  number  of  people. 
There  were  many  confrontations.  The  declarations  of 
the  terrible  sorceress  were  submitted  to  careful  investiga- 
tion by  examining  magistrates  like  Nicolas  de  la  Reynie. 
All  her  declarations  were  found  to  be  accurate.”  He 
further  points  out  that  La  Voisin  was  not  the  only 
prisoner  to  bring  this  charge  against  the  poet,  as  the 
following  question,  put  by  one  of  the  judges  to  the 
sorceress,  will  show  : — 

“ Asked  if  she  was  not  aware  that  application  had 
been  made  to  Delagrange  (another  sorceress)1  for  the 
same  purpose  (the  poisoning  of  Du  Parc  by  Racine).”  2 
That  Louis  XIV.  considered  the  charge  of  sufficient 
importance  to  justify  a strict  investigation  is  clearly 
proved  by  a letter  from  Louvois  to  Bazin  de  Bezons 
(January  it,  1680),  in  which  he  informs  him  that  a 
lettre  de  cachet  for  the  poet’s  arrest  should  be  sent  him 
whenever  he  applied  for  it.  Bazin  de  Bezons,  however, 
never  did  apply  for  it.  Himself  a member  of  the 
Academy,  he  was  naturally  reluctant  to  take  any  steps 
against  his  colleague  until  further  evidence  was  forth- 
coming.3 

1 No  trace  of  the  examination  of  Delagrange  remains. 

2 M.  Funck-Brentano’s  Le  Drame  des  Poisons , 291. 

3 Archives  de  la  Bastille , vi.  95. 

259 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


In  spite  of  his  interference  with  the  course  of  the  law 
in  the  case  of  the  Comtesse  de  Soissons  and  other  culprits 
of  high  rank,  Louis  XIV.  continued  to  express  his 
determination  that  justice  should  be  administered  with- 
out fear  or  favour.  On  December  27,  1679,  he  sent  for 
Boucherat,  the  President  of  the  Chambre,  La  Reynie, 
Bazin  de  Bezons,  and  the  procureur-general,  Robert,  to 
come  to  Saint-Germain.  “ On  rising  from  dinner,” 
writes  La  Reynie,  “ his  Majesty  recommended  us  to  do 
justice  in  extremely  strong  and  precise  terms,  pointing 
out  to  us  that  he  desired,  on  behalf  of  the  public  weal, 
that  we  should  penetrate  as  deeply  as  possible  into  this 
abominable  traffic  in  poisons,  so  as  to  cut  its  root,  if  this 
could  be  effected.  He  commanded  us  to  do  strict  justice, 
without  distinction  of  person,  rank,  or  sex  ; and  this  his 
Majesty  told  us  in  clear  and  emphatic  terms.”1  Then, 
on  January  31,  1680,  we  find  the  Venetian  Ambassador 
writing  to  the  Doge  : “ His  Majesty  appears  extremely 
affected  at  finding  the  first  nobility  of  his  realm  sullied 
by  these  awful  crimes.  He  is,  therefore,  causing  the 
investigations  to  be  pushed  forward  with  the  utmost 
rigour,  and  has  declared  that  no  person  convicted  of  such 
grave  offences  shall  have  anything  to  hope  from  his 
clemency.”2  Finally,  on  February  4,  Louvois  informs  the 
President  of  the  Chambre  that  “ his  Majesty  had  com- 
manded him  to  acquaint  him  with  his  Majesty’s  desire 
that  he  should  assure  the  judges  of  his  protection,  and  let 
them  understand  that  he  expected  them  to  continue 
dispensing  justice  with  firmness.”3 

On  February  22,  La  Voisin  “ quietly  surrendered  her 

1 Archives  de  la  Bastille , vi.  67. 

2 Ibid.,  p.  124. 

3 Ibid.,  p.  137. 

260 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


soul  to  the  devil,”1  as  Madame  de  Sevigne  expresses  it, 
after  which  the  investigations  proceeded  without  any- 
thing of  great  importance  being  discovered  until  July  12, 
when  the  sorceress’s  daughter,  Marguerite  Monvoisin,2  a 
girl  of  twenty-one,  was  brought  before  the  examining 
commissioners.  This  Marguerite  Monvoisin  had  already 
been  examined,  but  without  result.  She  appears  to  have 
been  much  attached  to  her  terrible  mother,  and,  in  the 
hope  of  saving  her,  or  at  least  of  mitigating  her  punish- 
ment, had  disclaimed  all  knowledge  of  her  transactions. 
Now,  however,  La  Voisin  being  dead,  she  had  no  longer 
any  object  in  remaining  silent,  and,  in  fact,  became  so 
communicative  that  La  Reynie  deemed  it  expedient  to 

1 She  was  burned  alive  in  the  Place  de  Greve,  and  “ merely  passed 
from  one  fire  to  another,”  adds  the  chronicler.  Here  is  the  death- 
warrant  : — 

“ The  Chambre  has  declared  and  does  declare  the  said  Catherine 
Deshayes,  wife  of  Antoine  Montabison,  duly  attainted  and  convicted 
of  the  crimes  of  poisoning,  abortion,  seduction,  impiety,  sacrilege, 
bribery,  and  other  charges  mentioned  at  the  trial,  as  a punish- 
ment for  which  she  is  condemned  to  make  amende  honorable  before 
the  principal  door  of  Notre-Dame,  whither  she  will  be  conducted  in 
a tumbril  by  the  executioner,  and  there,  on  her  knees,  and  holding 
in  her  hand  a burning  torch,  two  pounds  in  weight,  to  say  and  declare, 
in  a loud  and  distinct  voice,  that,  maliciously  and  badly  advised,  she 
has  done  and  committed  the  poisonings,  abortions,  seductions,  impieties, 
and  sacrilege  mentioned  at  the  trial,  for  which  she  is  repentant  and 
asks  pardon  of  God,  the  King,  and  Justice.  And,  this  done,  to  be 
conducted  to  the  Place  de  Gr£ve,  to  be  there  burnt  alive  and  her 
ashes  scattered  to  the  wind,  the  said  Catherine  Deshayes  having  been 
first  put  to  the  torture  ordinary  and  extraordinary,  in  order  to  learn 
from  her  mouth  the  names  of  her  accomplices  and  to  obtain  information 
in  regard  to  the  other  charges  mentioned  at  the  trial. 

“Given  the  nineteenth  day  of  February  1680. 

“ Bazin,  Boucherat,  De  La  Reynie.” 
This  person  is  styled  in  official  documents  “ la  Jille  Voisin.” 

261 


2 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


forward  a report  of  her  evidence  and  that  of  two  other 
prisoners,  Romani  and  Bertrand,  who  were  examined 
about  the  same  time,  to  the  King,  who  was  then  in 
Flanders.  In  reply,  Louis  wrote  to  the  Lieutenant  of 
Police  the  following  letter  : — 

Louis  XIV.  to  La  Reynie. 

“Lille,  August  2,  1680. 

“ Having  seen  the  declarations  of  Marguerite  Mon- 
voisin,  prisoner  in  my  chateau  of  Vincennes,  made  on 
the  1 2th  of  last  month,  and  the  examination  to  which 
you  subjected  her  on  the  26th  of  the  same  month,  I 
write  you  this  letter  to  inform  you  that  my  intention  is 
that  you  should  devote  all  possible  care  to  elucidate  the 
facts  contained  in  the  said  declarations  and  examina- 
tions ; that  you  should  remember  to  have  written  down 
in  separate  memorials  the  answers,  confrontations,  and 
everything  concerning  the  report  that  may  hereafter  be 
made  on  the  said  declarations  and  examinations  (to  the 
judges),  and  that  meanwhile  you  defer  reporting  to  my 
royal  Chamber,  sitting  at  the  Arsenal,  the  depositions  of 
Romani  and  Bertrand  until  you  receive  orders  from  me. 

“ Louis.” 1 

Thus  Louis  directed  that  the  declarations  of  Marguerite 
Monvoisin  and  those  of  Romani  and  Bertrand  should  be 
detached  from  the  documents  submitted  by  the  examining 
commissioners  to  the  court. 

On  September  16  Lesage  was  brought  up  for  examina- 
tion. He  had  been  promised  his  life  on  condition  that 
he  should  reveal  all  he  knew,  and  related  most  horrible 

1 Archives  de  la  Bastille , vi.  276. 

262 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


things  : how,  some  years  before,  Guibourg  and  another 
priest,  named  Tournet,  had  celebrated  “black  masses” 
and  sacrificed  children  in  the  cellar  of  a house  near  the 
Invalides  on  nine  successive  nights  ; how  they  had  manu- 
factured poison  there,  with  which  Madame  Ridel,  the  wife 
of  one  of  the  King’s  valets-de-chambre , had  made  away 
with  her  husband  ; and  how  they  had  afterwards  removed 
to  a house  in  the  suburbs  of  Paris,  where  they  said 
“ black  masses  ” on  behalf  of  several  ladies  of  the  Court, 
whose  names  he  mentioned,  and  the  manufacture  of 
poisons  was  carried  on  to  such  an  extent  that  the  wretches 
themselves  were  almost  suffocated  by  the  fumes.  On  the 
26th  he  was  again  brought  up,  and  made  statements  so 
amazing  that  at  first  La  Reynie  and  Bazin  de  Bezons 
refused  to  believe  him.  But,  four  days  later,  the  sorceress, 
Fran^oise  Filastre,who  had  been  condemned  to  death  and 
the  preliminary  question , was  put  to  the  torture,  and,  in 
her  agony,  confirmed  the  testimony  of  her  confederate. 
A report  of  her  evidence  and  that  of  Lesage  was  im- 
mediately sent  to  the  King,  who  had  returned  from 
Flanders  at  the  end  of  August,  and,  on  that  very  day 
(October  1),  the  sittings  of  the  Chambre  Ardente  were 
suspended  by  royal  edict.1 

Now  what  were  the  reasons  which  had  induced 
Louis  XIV.,  who,  a few  months  before,  had  exhorted  the 
judges  to  do  their  duty,  “ without  distinction  of  person, 
rank,  or  sex,”  and  had  publicly  announced  that  no  one 
convicted  of  these  abominable  crimes  need  have  anything 
to  hope  from  his  clemency,  first,  to  refuse  to  permit 
the  depositions  of  Marguerite  Monvoisin,  Romani,  and 

1 Although  the  sittings  of  the  Chambre  were  suspended,  it  is 
important  to  note  that  the  examining  commissioners,  La  Reynie  and 
Bazin  de  Bezons,  were  authorised  to  continue  their  private  investigations. 

263 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Bertrand  to  be  laid  before  the  Chambre,  and  then,  after 
perusing  those  of  Lesage  and  La  Filastre,  to  suspend  the 
sittings  of  the  court  ? The  answer  is  that  the  evidence 
of  the  persons  in  question  contained  overwhelming  proof 
that  of  all  the  ladies  of  the  Court  and  the  city  who  had 
been  convicted  of  intercourse  with  the  atrocious  wretches 
awaiting  the  penalty  of  their  crimes  in  the  dungeons  of 
the  Bastille  and  Vincennes  none  had  been  more  guilty,  in 
intention  if  not  in  deed,  than  the  woman  who  had  been 
for  twelve  years  the  mistress  of  the  King,  the  woman 
whose  children  had  been  made  sons  and  daughters  of 
France  ! 


264 


CHAPTER  XVII 


Madame  de  Montespan  and  the  Poisoners — What  happened 
in  the  Rue  de  la  Tannerie — Lesage  and  Mariette  perform 
incantations  for  Madame  de  Montespan  at  Saint-Germain — 
Lesage  and  Mariette  are  arrested — But  do  not  meet  with  their 
deserts — Madame  de  Montespan  consults  La  Voisin — The 
“ black  mass  ” is  said  over  Madame  de  Montespan  at  Mesnil 
— And  on  two  other  occasions— Guibourg’s  story — La  Voisin 
gives  Madame  de  Montespan  “ love-powders  ” for  the  King — 
Their  effect  upon  Louis  XIV. — Madame  de  Montespan  consults 
La  Voisin  “whenever  she  fears  any  diminution  in  the  favour 
of  the  King  ” — La  Filastre  called  into  consultation  during 
the  favour  of  Madame  de  Soubise — She  brings  “ fine  secrets 
for  love”  from  Normandy — The  “black  mass”  again — 
Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets  and  the  English  “ mylord  ” — 
Madame  de  Montespan  determines  to  have  Louis  XIV.  and 
Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges  poisoned — The  conspirators  meet 
in  the  Rue  de  Beauregard — The  plot — La  Voisin  goes  to  Saint- 
Germain — She  is  arrested — Madame  de  Montespan  com- 
missions La  Filastre  to  poison  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges — 
Arrest  of  La  Filastre — Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets  the  inter- 
mediary between  Madame  de  Montespan  and  the  Poisoners — 
Louvois  refuses  to  allow  her  to  be  arrested— She  demands  to 
be  confronted  with  her  accusers — Attempt  to  tamper  with  the 
prisoners  frustrated  by  La  Reynie — Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets’s 
request  is  granted — Result. 


By  whom  Madame  de  Montespan  was  first  led  to  the 
haunts  of  the  witches  does  not  appear  to  have  been  ever 
discovered  ; but  the  following  memorandum  left  by  La 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Reynie  casts  a strong  suspicion  upon  the  alchemist,  Louis 
de  Vanens  : — 

“To  see  La  Chaboissiere  (Vanens’s  valet)  again  about 
his  reluctance  to  have  written  down  in  his  declaration, 
after  hearing  it  read,  the  statement  that  Vanens  had  been 
concerned  in  giving  Madame  de  Montespan  counsel 
which  deserves  that  he  should  be  drawn  and  quartered.” 

What  is  certain,  however,  is  that  one  day  in  the  year 
1667  the  marchioness,  who  was  then  aspiring  to  the 
royal  heart,  met  Lesage  and  one  Mariette,  a priest  of 
Saint-Severin,1  in  a house  in  the  Rue  de  la  Tannerie. 
(She  had,  it  seems,  already  consulted  La  Voisin,  and  had 
by  her  been  introduced  to  her  confederates.)  The  lady 
was  conducted  to  a little  room,  at  one  end  of  which  an 
altar  had  been  erected.  Mariette,  arrayed  in  sacerdotal 
vestments,  uttered  incantations;  Lesage  sung  the  Veni 
Creator ; after  which  Mariette  read  a Gospel  over  Madame 
de  Montespan’s  head,  while  she  knelt  before  him  and 
recited  exorcisms  against  La  Valliere,  adding,  according 
to  the  testimony  of  Lesage,  various  modest  requests  to 
the  “ Spirit,”  among  them  that  “ the  Queen  might  be  re- 
pudiated, and  that  she  might  espouse  the  King  herself.” 

At  the  beginning  of  the  following  year,  Mariette  and 
Lesage  were  summoned  to  Saint-Germain,  and  there  in 
the  chateau  itself,  in  the  apartments  occupied  by  Madame 

1 The  Church  came  very  badly  out  of  this  affair.  “ The  clergy,” 
says  M.  Ravaisson,  “shared  the  general  uneasiness  in  regard  to  the 
proceedings  against  the  Poisoners.  They  feared  that  the  great  number 
of  priests  compromised  would  not  add  to  the  consideration  in  which  the 
Church  was  held.  Moreover,  the  confessors  (of  the  prisoners),  in  spite 
of  the  care  taken  by  La  Reynie  and  Louvois  in  selecting  them,  exhorted 
their  penitents  to  silence.”  One  woman,  named  Dufresnoy,  admitted  at 
her  examination  that  her  confessor  had  told  her  “ to  forget  everything 
that  she  had  done.” 


266 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


de  Montespan’s  sister,  Madame  de  Thianges,  they  resumed 
their  sorceries.  The  rough  draft  of  a report  drawn  up  by 
La  Reynie  for  presentation  to  the  King  informs  us  of 
what  took  place  on  this  occasion  : — 

“ Mariette,  wearing  his  surplice  and  stole,  sprinkled 
holy  water,  and  read  a Gospel  over  the  head  of  Madame 
de  Montespan,  while  Lesage  burned  incense,  and  Madame 
de  Montespan  recited  an  exorcism,  which  Lesage  and 
Mariette  had  given  her  in  writing.  The  name  of  the 
King  occurred  in  this  exorcism  and  that  of  Madame  de 
Montespan,  as  well  as  that  of  Madame  de  La  Valliere. 
The  exorcism  was  intended  to  obtain  the  favour  of  the 
King  and  the  death  of  Madame  de  La  Valliere  : Mariette 
says  it  was  merely  to  get  her  sent  away.” 

From  the  same  report  we  learn  that  before  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  visitors  took  their  departure  they  asked  for  the 
hearts  of  two  pigeons,  “ in  order  to  say  a mass  over  them 
and  to  pass  themunder  the  chalice.”  The  marchioness  gave 
them  what  they  required,  and,  some  days  later,  the  mass 
was  duly  said  by  Mariette  in  the  chapel  of  Saint-Severin, 
to  which  he  was  attached.  Madame  de  Montespan  assisted 
at  the  ceremony,  and  afterwards  repaired  to  Mariette’s 
house,  where  further  blasphemous  rites  were  performed.1 

Madame  de  Montespan  was,  of  course,  only  one  of 
many  clients  for  whom  Mariette  and  Lesage  worked  and 
a few  weeks  after  the  service  at  Saint-S6verin  the  sacri- 
legious practices  of  these  worthies  came  to  the  ears  of 
the  police,  with  the  result  that  they  were  both  arrested 
and  thrown  into  the  Bastille,  and  subsequently  brought 
before  the  Chatelet  on  a charge  of  sorcery.  Unfortu- 
nately, the  presiding  judge,  President  de  Mesmes,  was 
related  by  marriage  to  Mariette,  and  the  investigation,  in 

1 Archives  de  la  Bastille , vi.  373. 

267 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


consequence,  was  not  carried  very  far.  However,  the  little 
that  could  not  be  concealed  sufficed  to  procure  Lesage 
condemnation  to  the  galleys  and  Mariette  a term  of 
imprisonment.  But  the  former  was  soon  liberated, 
thanks  to  the  good  offices  of  La  Voisin’s  powerful 
friends  ; while  the  latter  made  his  escape  and  no  attempt 
seems  to  have  been  made  to  rearrest  him. 

The  success  of  Madame  de  Montespan’s  campaign 
against  the  royal  heart  must  have  greatly  strengthened 
her  belief  in  the  efficacy  of  dealings  with  the  devil;  never- 
theless, from  1668  to  1672  she  would  appear  to  have 
dispensed  with  the  assistance  of  the  sorcerers.  Towards 
the  end  of  the  latter  year,  however,  either  because  she 
was  alarmed  by  some  passing  infidelity  on  the  part  of 
the  King  which  has  escaped  the  notice  of  historians,  or 
because  she  was  impatient  to  have  her  position  more  fully 
recognised,  she  again  consulted  La  Voisin,  who  advised 
that  recourse  should  be  had  to  Guibourg  and  the  “ black 
mass.” 

To  obtain  the  desired  result  from  this  horrible  rite  it 
was  supposed  to  be  necessary  that  it  should  be  celebrated 
three  times  in  succession.  The  three  masses  were  said  in 
1673,  at  intervals  of  two  or  three  weeks.  The  first  took 
place  at  a chateau  at  Mesnil,  near  Montlhery,  where 
Guibourg  had  formerly  lived  as  almoner  of  the  Mont- 
gommerys.  This  chateau,  a gloomy  building,  surrounded 
by  deep  moats,  belonged  to  Leroy,  governor  of  the 
pages  of  the  Petite  Ecurie,  who  was  a near  relation  of 
Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets,  the  favourite’s  confidential 
femme-de-chambre  and  the  intermediary  between  her  and 
La  Voisin.  We  shall  have  a good  deal  to  say  about 
Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets  presently.  Leroy  not  only 
lent  his  house,  but  arranged  matters  with  Guibourg,  to 

268 


TJJAUO)  i . I HQ  2 . : ■ ^12 1 0 - v 

(■>•  s(  wt(KU-lfi) 


FRANCOISE  ATHENAIS  DE  ROCHECHOUART 

(Marquise  de  Montespan) 

From  the  Engraving  by  Pierre  Schenk 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


whom  he  promised  “ fifty  pistoles  and  a benefice  worth 
2000  livres.”1 

On  the  appointed  day,  there  met  at  Mesnil,  Madame 
de  Montespan,  “a  tall  woman  ” (presumably  Mademoiselle 
Des  CEillets),  Guibourg,  Leroy,  and  a man  whose  name 
did  not  transpire,  but  who  was  believed  to  be  in  the 
service  of  the  Archbishop  of  Sens  ; and  there,  in  the 
chapel  of  the  chateau,  the  abominable  ceremony  was 
performed  over  the  body  of  the  marchioness  as  she  lay 
across  the  altar;  a child,  whom  Guibourg  had  brought  for 
the  purpose,  being  as  usual  offered  up  to  “ Ashtaroth, 
Asmodeus,  Princes  of  Affection.”2 

A fortnight  or  three  weeks  later,  a second  mass  was 
performed  at  Saint-Denis,  in  a tumbledown  hut,  twenty 
pistoles  being  the  price  paid  to  the  celebrant  ; and  the 
third  took  place  in  a house  in  Paris.  Much  secrecy 
seems  to  have  been  observed  on  this  occasion.  Leroy 
came  to  Saint-Denis  and  conducted  Guibourg  as  far  as  the 
arcade  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville.  Here,  after  they  had  been 
waiting  some  time,  a coach  drove  up,  in  which  sat  the 
strange  man  who  had  assisted  at  the  mass  at  Mesnil,  and 
had,  it  appears,  also  been  present  at  the  second  mass. 
Leroy  told  Guibourg  to  get  into  the  coach,  but  did  not 
himself  do  so.  When  they  had  driven  a short  distance, 
the  unknown  informed  his  companion  that  it  was  neces- 
sary for  him  to  be  blindfolded.  The  wretch  submitted  in 
fear  and  trembling,  “ as  he  was  afraid  that  the  man,  who 
was  armed  with  pistols,  was  going  to  kill  him  ” ; but 
his  apprehensions  were  groundless  and  after  he  had 

1 No  proceedings  seem  to  have  been  taken  by  the  Chambre  Ardente 
against  this  Leroy.  It  is  possible  that  he  had  fled  from  France  at  the 
first  alarm. 

2 Archives  de  la  Bastille , vi.  335. 

269 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


performed  his  horrible  office,  he  was  again  blindfolded 
and  taken  back  to  the  Hotel  de  Ville.1 

The  results  of  the  “ black  mass  ” do  not  appear  to  have 
answered  Madame  de  Montespan’s  expectations,  and  not 
long  afterwards  there  was  a temporary  coolness  between 
the  King  and  his  mistress,  due  probably  to  one  of  Louis’s 
periodical  fits  of  devotion.  The  marchioness  thereupon 
applied  to  La  Voisin,  who  gave  her  “ love-powders,” 
which  were  mixed  with  the  unfortunate  monarch’s  food, 
it  is  believed,  by  Duchesne,  an  officer  of  the  buttery, 
“ who  was  always  at  Madame  de  Montespan’s  service.” 

The  Journal  de  la  sante  du  Roi  Louis  XIV.  drawn  up 
by  d’Aquin,  first  physician  to  the  King  at  this  period, 
states  that  at  the  end  of  that  year  his  illustrious  patient 
suffered  from  violent  headaches,  and  that  on  January  I, 
1674,  he  was  attacked  by  dizziness  of  such  a kind  that  his 
sight  became  clouded  and  he  was  unable  to  stand  without 
support.  In  the  opinion  of  M.  Loiseleur,  these  head- 
aches and  attacks  of  faintness,  which  recurred  at  intervals 
during  the  next  few  years,  were  the  result  of  the  powders 
prepared  by  La  Voisin.2 

In  the  summer  of  1674,  as  we  have  seen,  the  difficulties 
with  regard  to  her  separation  from  her  husband  having 
been  overcome,  Madame  de  Montespan  realised  her 
ambition  and  became  maitresse  declaree,  a result  which 
she  doubtless  attributed  in  no  small  degree  to  the  inter- 
vention of  La  Voisin,  to  whom  henceforth  she  never 
failed  to  apply  whenever  matters  were  not  progressing  as 
smoothly  as  she  desired.  “Every  time  that  anything 
fresh  happened  to  Madame  de  Montespan  and  she  feared 

1 Interrogatoire  de  1' Abbe  Guibourg,  Archives  de  la  Bastille , vi.  327. 

2 Journal  de  la  sante  du  Roi  Louis  XIV.,  ecrits  par  V allot,  d'  Aquin,  et 
Fagon,  p.  1 1 9.  Loiseleur’s  Trois  Enigmes  historiques,  p.  189. 

270 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


some  diminution  in  the  favour  of  the  King,”  said 
Marguerite  Monvoisin,  the  witch’s  daughter,  in  the  course 
of  a further  examination  on  August  13,  1680,  “she 
told  my  mother,  so  that  she  might  provide  some  remedy  ; 
and  my  mother  at  once  had  recourse  to  priests,  whom 
she  instructed  to  say  masses  {i.e.  ‘ black  masses  ’),  and 
gave  her  powders  to  be  administered  to  the  King.”  1 

Questioned  as  to  the  composition  of  these  powders, 
the  girl  replied  that  they  were  prepared  in  various  ways, 
according  to  the  different  formulas  of  witchcraft.  Among 
the  ingredients  of  those  generally  given  to  Madame  de 
Montespan  were  cantharides,  the  dust  of  dried  moles, 
the  blood  of  bats,  and  other  vile  substances.  (No  wonder 
the  royal  digestion  suffered  !)  Of  these  a paste  was 
made,  which  was  placed  under  the  chalice  during  the 
sacrifice  of  the  mass  and  blessed  by  the  priest  at  the 
moment  of  the  offer toire.  Sometimes  La  Voisin  took 
the  powders  to  Versailles,  Saint-Germain,  or  Clagny ; 
sometimes  Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets  would  call  for 
them ; and  twice  she  herself  had  given  them  to  the 
marchioness.  The  first  occasion  was  in  the  church  of 
the  Petits-Peres,  when,  at  a prearranged  signal,  she 
slipped  the  powders  in  a sealed  packet  into  the  lady’s 
hand  during  the  service.  The  second  time  she  met 
Madame  de  Montespan  by  appointment  on  the  road 
between  Ville  d’Avray  and  Clagny,  and  gave  them  to  her 
as  she  was  passing  in  her  coach.2 

The  evidence  of  Marguerite  Monvoisin  leaves  no 

1 Interrogatoire  de  la  jille  V oisin.  Archives  de  la  Bastille , vi.  288. 

2 Ibid.,  vi.  297.  At  her  examination  on  August  13,  the  girl  denied 
that  she  had  ever  seen  Madame  de  Montespan,  but,  two  days  later,  she 
was  again  brought  before  La  Reynie,  and,  probably  under  fear  of  torture, 
made  a full  confession. 


271 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


doubt  whatever  that  her  mother  was  firmly  convinced 
of  the  efficacy  of  the  charms  which  she  provided,  and 
believed  that  she  was  giving  her  noble  client  good  value 
for  her  money. 

When,  at  Easter  1675,  Madame  de  Montespan  received 
orders  to  retire  from  Court,  she,  of  course,  at  once  sum- 
moned La  Voisin  to  her  aid.  The  witch  again  prepared 
powders  for  the  King,  taking  them  herself  to  Clagny 
on  one  occasion  and  bringing  back  fifty  louis  d’or,  and 
again  the  result  was  such  as  to  apparently  justify  the 
marchioness’s  confidence  in  the  powers  of  sorcery. 

For  twelve  months  the  lady  basked  in  the  rays  of  the 
royal  favour,  and  then  Madame  de  Soubise  appeared 
upon  the  scene.  La  Voisin’s  powders  were  tried,  but 
without  effect,  and,  accordingly,  the  sorceress  Filastre 
was  called  in.  Filastre  advised  that  application  should 
be  made  to  a certain  Louis  Galet,  who  was  reported  to 
have  “ fine  secrets  ” in  regard  to  poison  and  love,  and,  in 
company  with  a woman  called  Boissiere,  set  out  for 
Normandy,  where  the  gentleman  in  question  resided. 
Galet,  urged  on  by  the  witches’  assurance  that  their  client 
would  make  his  fortune  if  he  were  successful,  prepared 
a most  potent  charm,  the  principal  ingredients  of  which 
appear  to  have  been  dried  plums  and  iron  filings,  and 
this  was  duly  administered  to  the  King.1  But  the 
Norman’s  prescription  was  no  more  effectual  than  La 
Voisin’s  had  been,  so  again  recourse  was  had  to  Guibourg 
and  the  “ black  mass.” 

The  horrible  ceremony  was  performed  at  La  Voisin’s 
house,  as  usual  three  times ; once  upon  Madame  de 
Montespan  herself,  with  circumstances  even  more  revolt- 
ing than  those  which  characterised  the  mass  at  Mesnil,  three 

1 Archives  de  la  Bastille , vi.  305. 

272 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


years  earlier,  and  twice  by  procuration,  the  witch  acting  as 
substitute.1  This,  as  M.  Loiseleur  and  M.  Funck-Bren- 
tano  point  out,  is  a further  proof  that  the  sorceresses 
really  believed  in  the  efficacy  of  their  abominable  rites. 

The  “ black  mass”  failed  as  the  powders  had  failed  ; 
to  Madame  de  Soubise  succeeded  Madame  de  Ludres,  and 
Madame  de  Montespan  was  beside  herself  with  rage  and 
jealousy.  It  was  then  that  a very  curious  incident  occurred. 
From  a report  drawn  up  by  La  Reynie,  for  the  information 
of  Louvois,  we  extract  the  following  passage  : — 

“ One  day  the  Demoiselle  Des  CEillets,  accompanied 
by  a foreigner,  who  was  said  to  be  an  Englishman  and 
was  addressed  as  ‘ mylord,’  came  to  La  Voisin’s  house, 
where  Guibourg  (the  priest  himself  deposed  to  what 
follows),  dressed  in  his  alb,  stole,  and  maniple,  said  a 
mass,  which  commenced  at  the  Te  igitur,  and  was  what 
he  called  a messe  seche ,2  and  to  this  he  added  an  exorcism, 
in  which  the  King’s  name  occurred.  The  intention  was 
to  make  a charm  against  the  King ; to  cause  the  King  s 
death,  so  the  wretch  says.  The  design  was  common  to 
Des  CEillets  and  the  ‘ mylord.’  Des  CEillets  spoke  with 
passion,  complained  of  the  King,  said  that  he  had  caused 
her  to  be  dismissed  from  Madame  de  Montespan’s 
service.3  The  Englishman  calmed  her.  He  was  her 
lover  and  had  promised  to  marry  her.”  4 

1 Interrogatoire  de  la  fille  Voisin,  Archives  de  la  Bastille , vi.  334. 

2 A messe  siche  is  a mass  in  which  no  consecration  takes  place.  The 
Te  igitur  is  the  first  prayer  of  the  canon  of  the  mass. 

3 Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets  appears  to  have  left  the  favourite’s 
service  about  this  time,  and  to  have  gone  to  reside  with  her  relative 
Leroy.  She  was,  however,  still  in  constant  communication  with  her 
former  mistress,  and  continued  to  act  as  the  intermediary  between  her 
and  the  witches. 

4 Various  absurd  hypotheses  have  been  put  forward  by  historians 

273 


s 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


La  Reynie  then  goes  on  to  relate  that  Guibourg  gave  a 
magic  potion,  “ prepared  according  to  the  formulae  of  La 
Voisin’s  book,”  to  the  femme-de-chambre , to  be  put  upon 
the  King’s  clothes,  “ or  in  some  place  where  he  was  to 
pass.”  This,  he  said,  would  cause  the  King  to  die  of  a 
decline.1 

Elsewhere  the  Lieutenant  of  Police  observes  that 
Mademoiselle  Des  GEillets,  in  order  presumably  to  leave 
nothing  to  chance,  applied  to  La  Voisin,  Lesage,  a man 
named  Latour,  who  went  by  the  name  of  “ the  author,” 
though  he  appears  to  have  worked  as  a stonemason  when 
he  was  not  engaged  in  sorcery,  and  a woman  called 
Vautier,  who  made  a speciality  of  poisoned  perfumes, 
from  each  of  whom  she  demanded  some  charm  to  ensure 
the  demise  of  the  King. 

M.  Loiseleur  is  of  opinion  that  the  above  facts  clearly 
prove  that  as  early  as  the  end  of  1676  or  the  beginning  of 
1677  Madame  de  Montespan  had  resolved  to  do  away 
with  Louis  XIV.,  if  he  persisted  in  his  infidelities. 

In  the  following  May,  Madame  de  Ludres  having 
been  discarded,  the  Marchioness  resumed  possession  of 
the  royal  heart,  and  for  nearly  two  years  these  projects  of 
revenge  slumbered.  But  they  awoke,  “ more  ardent  and 
more  venomous  than  ever,”  when,  towards  the  end 
of  February  1679,  she  became  aware  of  the  relations 

regarding  the  identity  of  this  mysterious  “ mylord.”  One  writer 
expresses  his  conviction  that  he  was  either  the  Duke  of  Monmouth  or 
George  Villiers,  Duke  of  Buckingham,  though  what  reason  Monmouth 
or  Buckingham  could  have  had  for  desiring  the  death  of  Louis  XIV.  he 
does  not  condescend  to  explain  ; while  another  sees  in  him  a secret 
agent  of  Lady  Castlemaine,  who  had  come  to  Paris  in  search  of  some 
charm  to  cause  the  death  of  the  faithless  Charles  II.  Presumably,  he 
meant  to  try  its  effect  upon  the  French  King  first  ! 

1 Archives  de  la  Bastille , vi.  421. 

274 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


between  Louis  XIV.  and  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges. 
No  sooner  had  she  satisfied  herself  of  the  guilt  of  her 
fickle  lover  than  the  infuriated  woman  took  steps  to  put 
an  end  to  both  him  and  her  rival. 

“ My  mother,”  said  Marguerite  Monvoisin,  in  the 
course  of  her  evidence  on  August  13,  1680,  “told  me 
that  the  lady  (Madame  de  Montespan)  wanted  at  that 
time  to  go  to  extremities,  and  tried  to  induce  her  to  do 
things  for  which  she  had  much  repugnance.  My  mother 
gave  me  to  understand  that  it  was  against  the  King, 
and  after  hearing  what  took  place  at  Trianon’s,  I had  no 
doubt  about  the  matter.”1 

This  Trianon  was  La  Voisin’s  partner  in  her  nefarious 
practices,  and  it  was  at  her  house  2 in  the  Rue  de  Beau- 
regard that  the  plot  was  hatched.  Two  men  named 
Romani  and  Bertrand  were  called  into  consultation  by 
the  witches.  Romani,  who  was  betrothed  to  La  Voisin’s 
daughter,  was  a valet-de-cliambre  in  the  service  of  a lady 
of  the  Court,  a post  which  Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets  had 
obtained  for  him ; “ a very  shrewd,  crafty,  determined 
individual,  who  had  travelled  much  and  tried  his  hand  at 
all  sorts  of  occupations,”  says  La  Reynie.  Of  Bertrand 
nothing  appears  to  be  known,  except  that  he  had  formerly 
been  employed  by  a silk  merchant  at  Lyons.  Both  are 
described  as  “ artists  in  poisons.” 

The  King  was  to  be  poisoned  first,  and  the  modus 
operandi  was  as  follows  : — 

1 Inter  rogatoire  de  la  file  Voisin,  Archives  de  la  Bastille , vi.  289. 

2 Trianon  appears  to  have  taken  part  in  the  affair  with  many 
misgivings,  and  to  have  endeavoured  to  dissuade  La  Voisin  from 
proceeding  with  it.  In  order  to  frighten  her,  she  cast  her  horoscope, 
and  foretold  that  she  would  be  implicated  in  a trial  for  a crime  against 
the  State.  This  document  was  found  on  La  Voisin  at  the  time  of  her 
arrest. 

275 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


In  conformity  with  the  ancient  custom  of  the  Kings  of 
France,  Louis  XIV.,  on  certain  days,  was  in  the  habit  of 
receiving  petitions  from  his  subjects.  Every  one  was 
admitted  to  his  presence,  and  no  distinction  whatever  was 
made ; the  rich  merchant  who  arrived  in  his  six-horse 
coach  and  the  peasant  who  had  trudged  all  the  way  from 
Brittany  or  Provence  were  equally  sure  of  their  Sovereign’s 
attention.  It  was  decided  to  prepare  a petition  and  steep 
it  in  powders  that  had  gone  under  the  chalice;  the  King 
would  take  it  in  his  hands  and  receive  his  death-blow. 
Trianon  undertook  the  preparation  of  the  petition,  which 
La  Voisin  was  to  take  to  Saint-Germain,  where  the  Court 
then  was,  and  place  it  in  the  hands  of  the  monarch.  One 
hundred  thousand  ecus  was  to  be  the  price  of  success.1 

To  Romani  and  Bertrand  were  entrusted  the  assassina- 
tion of  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges.  The  poison  to  be 
employed  in  her  case  was  to  be  less  active  than  in  that  of 
the  King,  “so  that  she  might  die  a lingering  death  and 
that  it  might  be  said  that  she  had  died  of  grief  at  the 
death  of  the  King.”  Their  plan  was  to  disguise  them- 
selves as  travelling  cloth  merchants,  obtain  admission  to 
the  young  favourite’s  apartments,  and  offer  her  gloves 
from  Grenoble  and  stuffs  “ so  rich  that  she  would  not  be 
able  to  refrain  from  taking  them.”  Both  the  gloves  and 
cloth  were  carefully  “ prepared  ” according  to  the  recipes 
of  the  magicians. 

These  proceedings  seem  grotesque  and  puerile  to  a 
degree  ; but,  as  we  have  shown,  there  can  be  no  question 
that  La  Voisin  and  her  confederates  were  absolutely  con- 
vinced of  the  potency  of  their  charms,  and  Marguerite 
Monvoisin  stated  that  her  mother  kept  the  petition  in  an 
envelope  and  handled  it  with  extreme  care,  saying  that  to 
1 Funck-Brentano’s  Le  Drarne  des  Poisons,  p.  189. 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


touch  it  would  be  certain  death.  It  was  well  for  their 
intended  victims  that  these  wretches  so  often  preferred  to 
trust  to  magic  instead  of  to  arsenic  and  antimony. 

The  petition,  which  was  to  ask  the  King’s  intervention 
on  behalf  of  an  old  lover  of  La  Voisin  named  Blessis, 
upon  whom  the  Marquis  de  Termes  had  laid  violent 
hands  and  was  keeping  under  lock  and  key  in  his  chateau 
at  Fontenay,  was  duly  drawn  up,  and  on  Sunday,  March  5, 
the  sorceress,  accompanied  by  Romani  and  Bertrand,  set 
out  for  Saint-Germain.  On  the  Thursday  she  returned 
very  much  annoyed.  There  had  been  a great  number  of 
petitions,  and  the  King,  instead  of  receiving  each  sepa- 
rately, as  was  his  usual  custom,  had  requested  the  bearers 
to  place  them  on  a table  by  his  side.  This,  apparently, 
would  not  have  suited  La  Voisin’s  purpose,  so  she  had 
brought  her  petition  back,  intending  to  return  to  Saint- 
Germain  on  the  following  Monday,  when  she  hoped  to 
be  more  fortunate. 

Marguerite  Monvoisin’s  evidence  went  to  show  that 
next  day  the  “ missionaries  ” (members  of  a community 
founded  by  Saint-Vincent  de  Paul,  who  essayed  the 
conversion  of  notorious  sinners)  called  at  the  house  to 
remonstrate  with  her  mother  on  the  error  of  her  ways, 
upon  which  the  sorceress  became  alarmed,  and,  early  on 
the  Saturday  morning,  gave  the  petition  to  her  daughter 
to  burn.  All  that  day  she  remained  in  bed,  but  on  the 
Sunday  rose  as  usual,  and  went  to  the  church  of  Notre 
Dame  de  Bonne  Nouvelle  to  hear  mass,  after  which  she 
proposed  to  dine  with  Trianon,  doubtless  to  arrange  for 
the  preparation  of  another  petition. 

As  she  was  leaving  the  church,  she  was  arrested.1 

1 Archives  de  la  Bastille , vi.  234  ; Funck-Brentano’s  he  Drame  des 
Poisons , p.  192. 


2 77 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


We  have  seen  that  on  March  15,  1679 — that  is  to  say, 
on  the  following  Wednesday — Madame  de  Montespan 
suddenly  left  Saint-Germain  and  went  to  Paris,  remaining 
there  several  days.1  Great  as  must  have  been  her  terror 
at  the  arrest  of  La  Voisin,  and  the  knowledge  that  sooner 
or  later  her  relations  with  the  sorceress  would  inevitably 
come  to  light,  her  desire  for  revenge  was  greater  still. 
To  procure  the  assassination  of  the  King  now  seemed 
hopeless,  nor  was  it  at  all  probable  that,  after  the  arrest 
of  their  accomplice,  Romani  and  Bertrand  could  be  in- 
duced to  proceed  with  their  designs  against  Mademoiselle 
de  Fontanges.  She,  however,  determined  to  try  Filastre. 
This  abominable  hag,  who,  according  to  the  testimony  of 
five  or  six  witnesses,  had  sacrificed  one  of  her  own  children 
at  a “black  mass,”  after  first  having  it  baptized,  under- 
took to  dispose  of  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges,  and  went  to 
Normandy  to  find  Galet,  for  the  purpose,  as  she  subse- 
quently confessed,  of  obtaining  powders  “ for  poisoning 
without  any  sign  appearing.”  From  Normandy  she 
went  to  Auvergne  on  a similar  quest,  though  her  move- 
ments there  are  shrouded  in  mystery.  Returning  to 
Paris,  she  endeavoured  to  gain  admission  to  the  apart- 
ments of  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges,  but  before  she  had 
succeeded  in  doing  so  she,  too,  was  arrested.2 

We  do  not  propose  to  trouble  the  reader  with  even  a 
brief  resume  of  all  the  evidence  bearing  upon  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  connection  with  the  sorceresses  which  was 
collected  between  the  suspension  of  the  sittings  of  the 
Chambre  Ardente  on  October  1,  1680,  and  their  resump- 
tion in  the  following  May,  most  of  which  merely  served 
to  corroborate  the  facts  we  have  already  mentioned, 

1 See  p.  233. 

2 Archives  de  la  Bastille , vi,,  passim. 

278 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


and  shall,  therefore,  confine  ourselves  to  relating  a single 
episode,  which  removed  the  last  shadow  of  doubt  as  to 
the  guilt  of  the  marchioness. 

On  almost  every  page  of  the  proceedings  one  name 
crops  up.  It  is  that  of  Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets, 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  confidential  femme-de-chambre. 
She  had  been  present  at  “ black  masses  ” ; she  had  been 
seen  in  company  with  the  mysterious  Englishman,  whose 
identity  and  present  whereabouts  were  unknown,  but 
whose  movements  had  been  highly  suspicious;  she  had 
applied  to  Guibourg,  La  Voisin,  and  other  magicians 
and  witches  for  charms  to  cause  the  death  of  the  King  ; 
she  had  been  continually  passing  backwards  and  forwards 
between  the  Court  and  La  Voisin’s  house,  fetching  “ love 
powders,”  bearing  notes,  and  so  forth.  Witness  after 
witness  bore  testimony  to  these  facts  in  the  most  positive 
manner,  but  still  Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets  remained  at 
large.  “ The  King  will  not  allow  me  to  be  arrested,” 
she  said  to  one  of  her  friends. 

Madame  de  Villedieu,  the  person  to  whom  this  was 
said,  was  subsequently  herself  arrested.  She  appears  to 
have  been  implicated  in  a plot  to  poison  Louise  de  La 
Valliere  ; and  M.  Ravaisson  thinks  it  possible  that  she  had 
also  accelerated  the  demise  of  her  husband,  who  had  had 
the  bad  taste  to  neglect  her  for  a certain  Mademoiselle 
Desjardins,  a celebrated  bas-bleu  of  the  time,  who  wrote 
romances  and  had  an  unfortunate  predilection  for  the 
society  of  married  men.  On  being  taken  to  Vincennes, 
she  loudly  protested  against  the  injustice  of  imprisoning 
her,  “when  she  had  only  been  once  to  La  Voisin’s,  while 
they  left  Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets  at  liberty,  who  had 
been  there  more  than  fifty  times.” 

This  remark  naturally  did  not  tend  to  allay  the  sus- 

279 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


picions  of  the  police  ; and,  towards  the  end  of  October, 
La  Reynie  wrote  to  Louvois,  pointing  out  how  imperative 
it  was,  in  the  interests  of  justice,  that  Mademoiselle  Des 
CEillets  should  be  confronted  with  her  accusers.  At 
first,  however,  the  Minister  would  not  consent.  To  take 
any  steps  against  the  waiting-woman  would,  in  his 
opinion,  be  tantamount  to  an  indictment  of  her  mistress. 
Louvois,  it  may  be  mentioned,  had,  next  to  La  Reynie, 
been  the  mainspring  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Chambre  ; 
he  had  seen  in  them  an  excellent  opportunity  for  taking 
vengeance  on  his  enemies,  such  as  the  unfortunate  Luxem- 
bourg. But  Madame  de  Montespan  was  his  intimate 
friend,  and  had  supported  him  against  Colbert,  while  he 
had  every  reason  to  fear  the  growing  influence  of  Madame 
de  Maintenon,  who  cordially  detested  him.  Moreover, 
he  believed  that  by  defending  the  marchioness  he  would 
ingratiate  himself  with  the  King. 

At  length,  however,  the  case  against  Mademoiselle  Des 
CEillets  became  so  very  black  that,  for  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  own  sake,  Louvois  decided  that  something 
must  be  done.  Accordingly,  he  sent  for  the  femme-de- 
chambre,  and  subjected  her  to  a private  examination  in 
his  cabinet,  hoping  against  hope  that  she  would  be  able 
to  clear  herself.  As  a result  of  the  interview,  he  wrote 
to  La  Reynie  the  following  letter  : — 


Louvois  to  La  Reynie. 

“Versailles,  November  18,  1680. 

“ Monsieur, — On  the  last  occasion  on  which  I was 
in  Paris,  I had  an  interview  with  the  person  whom 
La  Voisin’s  daughter  calls  the  ‘go-between’  (Made- 
moiselle Des  CEillets).  She  admits  having  seen  La  Voisin 

280 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


once,  and  once  only,  ten  years  ago,  when  she  was  in 
company  with  five  or  six  girls  from  her  Quarter.  She 
declares,  with  marvellous  assurance,  that  not  one  of  those 
who  have  named  her  know  her,  and,  to  convince  me  of 
her  innocence,  begged  me  to  urge  the  King  to  allow  her 
to  be  taken  to  the  place  where  those  who  have  deposed 
against  her  are  confined.  His  Majesty  has,  therefore, 
been  pleased  to  decide  that  I shall  conduct  her  to 
Vincennes  next  Friday  ; that  I shall  cause  Lesage,  La 
Voisin’s  daughter,  Guibourg,  and  the  other  people,  who, 
as  you  inform  me,  have  spoken  of  her  to  be  brought 
down,  under  the  pretext  of  asking  them  for  explanations 
regarding  a lady  of  quality  whom  they  have  mentioned  ; 
that,  while  I am  questioning  each  of  them,  the  person  of 
whom  I have  just  spoken  shall  enter  and  show  herself  to 
them,  and  that  I shall  ask  them  if  they  know  her, 
without  naming  her.”1 

This  letter  occasioned  the  Lieutenant  of  Police  con- 
siderable astonishment,  as  he  himself  had  not  the  smallest 
doubt  of  the  woman’s  guilt.  A very  little  reflection, 
however,  sufficed  to  convince  him  that  there  was  some- 
thing behind  the  “ marvellous  assurance  ” of  which  the 
Minister  had  spoken.  He,  therefore,  lost  no  time  in 
making  inquiries,  and  discovered  that,  in  spite  of  his 
vigilance,  some  one  from  outside  was  in  communication 
with  the  prisoners.  This  “ some  one,”  needless  to  say, 
was  Madame  de  Montespan.2  La  Reynie  at  once  took 

1 Archives  de  la  Bastille , vi.  575. 

2 It  would  be  interesting  to  know  when  Madame  de  Montespan  first 
became  aware  that  her  connection  with  the  sorceresses  had  been 
discovered  ; but,  unfortunately,  we  have  no  means  of  ascertaining. 
M.  Ravaisson,  M.  Loiseleur,  and  M.  Funck-Brentano  all  speak  of  a 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


extraordinary  precautions  to  prevent  any  but  those 
officials  whom  he  could  thoroughly  trust  approaching 
his  charges,  and  the  marchioness’s  little  plot  was  nipped 
in  the  bud.  On  the  appointed  day  Louvois  and  Made- 
moiselle Des  CEillets  came  to  Vincennes,  and  the  latter 
was  duly  confronted  with  each  of  the  prisoners  in  turn. 

To  the  intense  chagrin  of  Louvois,  all  immediately 
recognised  th q femme-de-chambre ; and  the  last  link  in  the 
long  chain  of  evidence  against  Madame  de  Montespan 
was  complete. 

stormy  interview  between  the  King  and  the  lady  “ about  the  middle  of 
August,”  but  their  authority  for  this  is  a letter  of  Madame  de  Maintenon, 
which  M.  Lavallee  unhesitatingly  pronounces  to  be  one  of  La  Beaumelle’s 
forgeries.  However,  it  is  extremely  probable  that  some  such  interview 
did  take  place  in  August,  for  Madame  de  Montespan,  in  a letter,  dated 
August  4,  from  Valenciennes,  to  her  friend,  the  Duchesse  de  Noailles, 
speaks  of  herself  as  “having  no  heart  for  anything.” 


282 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


Louis  XIV.  unwilling  to  allow  Madame  de  Montespan  or  her 
accusers  to  be  brought  to  trial — His  reasons — Colbert  and 
Louvois  of  the  same  opinion — The  Chambre  Ardente  resumes 
its  sittings — But  on  condition  that  the  evidence  against 
Madame  de  Montespan  should  be  withheld  from  the  judges — 
Fatuity  of  the  proceedings  under  such  circumstances — Trial  of 
La  Joly — La  Reynie  pleads  in  vain  for  justice — The  Chambre 
Ardente  is  dissolved — Fate  of  Madame  de  Montespan’s  accom- 
plices—Extraordinary  precautions  taken  to  ensure  their  silence 
— Louis  XIV.  destroys  the  incriminating  documents— Death  of 
Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges — Suspicions  of  poisoning — The 
King  endeavours  to  prevent  an  autopsy  being  held — But  the 
relatives  insist  on  it — A natural  death — The  last  ceremonies. 

The  feelings  of  Louis  XIV.  when  he  learned  of  the 
terrible  crimes  of  which  the  woman  who  had  shared  his 
life  for  twelve  years  stood  convicted  may  well  be  imagined. 
Nevertheless,  he  speedily  recognised  that  to  punish  her 
as  she  deserved,  to  allow  justice  to  take  its  course,  was 
absolutely  out  of  the  question.  The  investigations  of 
the  Chambre  Ardente  had  already  lowered  the  prestige 
of  France  to  an  alarming  extent,  and  with  the  prestige 
of  France  that  of  its  sovereign,  who,  by  arrogating  to 
himself  absolute  authority,  had  incurred  and  accepted 
undivided  responsibility.  What  would  be  the  result  if 
the  latest  development  of  this  most  dreadful  business 
were  to  become  known?  Moreover,  there  was  a ludicrous 

283 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


as  well  as  a tragic  side  to  the  affair.  The  former  would, 
of  course,  predominate  at  home,  but  the  reverse  would 
in  all  probability  be  the  case  abroad  ; and  ridicule,  as  he 
well  knew,  cuts  deeper  than  iron  or  steel.  He  pictured 
to  himself  the  cynical  amusement  of  his  brother  of 
England,  the  sneers  of  the  hated  William  of  Orange,  the 
coarse  jests  of  the  German  princes ; and  the  picture  was 
not  a pleasing  one.  How  could  a monarch  hope  to 
dictate  the  law  to  his  fellow-rulers  when  he  and  his  love- 
affairs  were  the  laughing-stock  of  every  Court  in  Europe? 

Again,  there  were  the  children  to  be  considered — the 
children  whom  he  had  legitimated,  for  whom  he  hoped 
to  make  great  marriages.  Would  princes  of  the  blood, 
would  the  proudest  nobles  in  France,  even  at  the  bidding 
of  their  King,  permit  their  sons  and  daughters  to  wed 
with  those  of  the  client  of  La  Voisin,  Filastre,  and  the 
Abb6  Guibourg,  of  one  who  was  in  intention,  if  not  in 
deed,  a regicide  ? And  what  would  the  feelings  of  those 
children  be  if  justice  were  done,  and  they  learned,  as  some 
day  they  inevitably  must,  the  iniquities  of  the  woman 
who  had  given  them  birth  ? For  his  own  sake,  for  his 
children’s  sake,  for  his  kingdom’s  sake,  he  felt  that,  at 
all  costs,  the  matter  must  be  hushed  up. 

His  two  chief  advisers  were  of  the  same  opinion. 
Louvois,  who,  as  the  Venetian  Ambassador  wrote  to 
his  Government,  “ worshipped  the  French  Monarchy,  to 
which  all  things  seemed  to  him  subordinate,”  felt  com- 
pelled to  protect  the  prestige  of  the  crown  from  the 
injury  the  condemnation  of  the  ex-favourite  would  do  it. 
Colbert,  a sincere  patriot,  considered  that  the  national 
greatness  was  indissolubly  bound  up  with  the  greatness 
of  the  King.  Besides,  both  had  private  ends  to  serve. 
Louvois’s  we  have  already  explained ; while  Colbert  had 

?8q 


;J  ■ ).  1 


. an ’i  '(y 


v tiH  ' : 


LOUIS  XIV. 

From  an  Engraving  after  the  Painting  by  Fiter 


( 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


recently  betrothed  his  younger  daughter  to  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  nephew,  the  son  of  the  Due  and  Duchesse 
de  Vivonne,1  and  naturally  desired  to  avert  the  scandal 
which  menaced  the  family  she  was  about  to  enter.2 
Laying  aside  their  antagonism  for  the  moment,  the  two 
great  Ministers  united  in  urging  Louis  to  quash  the 
proceedings.  “ The  King,”  wrote  one  of  La  Reynie’s 
secretaries,  “ was  strongly  advised,  even  by  persons  in 
high  places,  to  close  the  Chambre  entirely,  under  various 
pretexts,  the  most  specious  of  which  was  that  a further 
investigation  of  the  poisoning  cases  would  bring  the 
country  into  discredit  abroad.”  3 

With  the  views  of  Colbert  and  Louvois  harmonising 
with  the  monarch’s  own,  the  result  may  be  anticipated. 

1 The  Duchesse  de  Vivonne  (Antoinette  de  Mesmes)  was  also  gravely 
compromised,  and  by  the  same  prisoners  as  Madame  de  Montespan. 
The  charges  against  her  were,  in  a way,  even  worse  than  those  against 
her  sister-in-law.  Not  content  with  making  compacts  with  the  Evil 
One  to  surrender  her  soul  to  him  on  condition  of  receiving  “a  certain 
sum  of  money  every  month  for  a given  period,”  “ the  power  to  make  any 
one  fall  ill  whoms  he  chose,”  and  so  forth,  causing  incantations  to  be 
said  against  her  husband,  and  having  “black  masses”  said  over  her,  in 
order  to  secure  the  dismissal  of  Madame  de  Montespan  and  the  love  of 
the  King  for  herself,  she  was  accused  of  actually  allowing,  on  the  advice 
of  Filastre,  one  of  her  own  children  to  be  sacrificed.  These  facts 
furnished  both  Colbert  and  Louis  XIV.  with  an  additional  reason  for 
preventing  Lesage,  Guibourg,  and  others  being  brought  to  trial. 

2 In  February  1 68 1 , Colbert  commissioned  a celebrated  advocate  of 
the  time,  one  Maitre  Duplessis,  to  draw  up  a statement  designed  to 
establish  the  innocence  of  Madame  de  Montespan.  Duplessis  fulfilled 
his  task  skilfully  enough,  and  his  arguments  seem  to  have  made  some 
impression  upon  historians  who  had  only  a very  partial  acquaintance 
with  the  documents  which  M.  Ravaisson  has  so  ably  edited  ; but 
M.  Loiseleur  considers  that  they  had  very  little  effect  upon  the  mind  of 
Louis  XIV. 

3 Quoted  in  M.  Funck-Brentano’s  Le  Drame  des  Poisons , p.  231. 

285 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


On  May  19  the  Chambre  Ardente  reopened  its  doors, 
but  on  the  express  condition  that  no  further  steps  should 
be  taken  in  regard  to  the  declarations  in  which  Madame 
de  Montespan  was  involved.  The  most  damaging  testi- 
mony against  the  marchioness  was  that  of  Marguerite 
Monvoisin  and  Filastre.  Louis  had  already  refused  to 
allow  the  former’s  evidence  to  be  laid  before  the  Chambre, 
and  on  May  14  he  directed  that  Filastre’s  should  also  be 
withdrawn  from  the  cognisance  of  the  judges,  “for  good 
and  just  considerations  important  to  his  service.” 

That  the  court  was  allowed  to  continue  its  investiga- 
tions at  all  was  entirely  due  to  the  efforts  of  La  Reynie, 
who  had  gone  to  Versailles,  and  “on  four  different  days 
and  for  four  hours  each  day”  represented  to  the  King 
and  his  Ministers  the  imperative  necessity  of  leaving  no 
means  untried  to  purge  France  of  these  horrible  crimes, 
which  were  sapping  the  very  vitals  of  the  nation,  and 
which,  if  not  now  checked,  would  speedily  assume  appal- 
ling dimensions.  The  King  yielded  on  the  conditions 
we  have  mentioned  ; but  before  the  Chambre  had  been 
sitting  long,  it  became  evident  to  the  Lieutenant  of 
Police  that  its  proceedings,  hampered  as  the  examining 
commissioners  were  by  the  necessity  of  withholding  every 
scrap  of  evidence  likely  to  compromise  Madame  de 
Montespan  from  their  colleagues,  were  degenerating  into 
a mere  farce.  The  sorceress  La  Joly  was  brought  before 
the  judges — Louis  having  raised  no  objection,  since  her 
preliminary  examination  had  revealed  nothing  to  impli- 
cate the  ex-favourite — found  guilty  of  criminal  dealings 
with  persons  in  the  Household  of  la  Grande  Mademoiselle1 

1 The  composition  of  Mademoiselle' s Household  left  a good  deal  to  be 
desired  ; her  physician,  Brioude,  was  a poisoner,  and  her  almoner  made 
compacts  with  the  Evil  One. 


286 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


and  various  other  offences,  and  condemned  to  torture  and 
the  stake.  In  the  course  of  her  trial  she  would  appear 
to  have  hinted  at  relations  with  Madame  de  Montespan, 
for  Louvois  wrote  in  hot  haste  to  Bazin  de  Bezons  as 
follows : — 

“ I am  in  receipt  of  the  letter  which  you  had  the 
goodness  to  write  to  me  yesterday,  from  which  the  King 
has  learned  what  La  Joly  said  yesterday  in  the  Chambre. 
His  Majesty  has  commanded  me  to  inform  you  that  in 
case  she  speaks  of  such  things  when  under  torture,  you 
must  place  her  declarations  in  a separate  portfolio  ( i.e . 
withdraw  them  from  the  cognisance  of  the  judges).” 

Next  morning  La  Joly  was  put  to  the  question , the 
“ boot  ” being  used  with  merciless  severity ; and,  in  her 
anguish,  confessed  to  things  which  must  have  made  the 
blood  of  the  examining  commissioners,  hardened  though 
they  were  after  two  years  of  such  revelations,  run  cold 
with  horror.  After  being  tortured  for  an  hour  and  a 
quarter,  she  was  released,  because,  as  M.  Ravaisson 
explains,  she  was  inclined  to  be  “ too  communicative,” 
and,  later  in  the  day,  burned  alive  in  the  Place  de  Greve.1 

This  episode  brought  home  to  La  Reynie  and  his 
fellow-commissioner  the  full  absurdity  of  the  situation. 
La  Joly  had  been  executed,  it  is  true  ; but  if  by  chance 
she  had  uttered  Madame  de  Montespan’s  name  at  her 
preliminary  examination,  instead  of  when  actually  before 
the  judges,  the  King  would  not  have  permitted  her  to  be 
brought  to  trial,  and  one  of  the  most  abominable  wretches 
in  Paris — a woman  whose  crimes  were  surpassed  only  by 
those  of  La  Voisin  and  Filastre — would  have  escaped  her 
deserts. 

La  Reynie  pleaded  for  justice  in  the  strongest  possible 

1 Archives  de  la  Bastille , vii.  64  et  seq. 

2S7 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


terms.  “ There  are  one  hundred  and  forty-seven  pri- 
soners in  the  Bastille  and  Vincennes,”  he  writes  to  Louvois. 
“ Of  these  there  is  not  one  against  whom  there  are  not 
serious  charges  of  poisoning  or  dealing  in  poisons,  and 
further  charges  of  sacrilege  and  impiety.  The  majority 
of  these  criminals  are  likely  to  go  unpunished.”  He 
then  mentions  a number  of  persons,  including  Trianon, 
Galet,  the  girl  Monvoisin,  and  the  infamous  Abbe 
Guibourg — “of  whom  we  hear  every  day  new  and  exe- 
crable things,  and  who  is  loaded  with  accusations  of 
crimes  against  God  and  the  King” — none  of  whom  would 
be  able  to  be  brought  to  trial  if  Louis  persisted  in  his 
determination  to  suppress  the  whole  of  the  evidence 
implicating  Madame  de  Montespan. 

But  the  arguments  of  the  honest  Lieutenant  of  Police 
fell  on  deaf  ears  at  Versailles  ; and  at  length,  recognising 
the  utter  futility  of  the  Court  continuing  to  sit  when  it 
was  impossible  to  bring  the  principal  offenders  before  it, 
La  Reynie  decided  to  advise  the  King  to  dissolve  the 
Chambre,  which  was  done  on  July  21,  1682,  by  a lettre  de 
cachet. 

It  is  satisfactory  to  know  that  the  wretches  whose  con- 
nection with  the  machinations  of  Madame  de  Montespan 
saved  them  from  the  gibbet  and  the  stake  were  very  far 
from  going  unpunished.  None  of  them  ever  returned 
to  the  scene  of  their  former  crimes.  At  the  same  time 
that  La  Reynie  had  advised  Louis  XIV.  to  close  the 
Chambre,  he  had  suggested  that,  since  the  King  would 
not  permit  them  to  be  tried  according  to  the  rules  of 
justice,  they  should  be  imprisoned  for  the  rest  of  their 
lives,  under  lettre  s de  cachet , in  different  fortresses ; and  this 
course  was  adopted.  Guibourg,  Galet,  Lesage,  and  Romani 

288 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


were  sent  to  the  citadel  of  Besan^on,  where  the  first- 
named  miscreant  died  three  years  later ; Marguerite  Mon- 
voisin  was  incarcerated  in  that  of  Belle-Isle-en-Mer ; 
Bertrand  spent  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  the  Chateau 
of  Salces  ; Louis  de  Vanens,  who  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  person  who  advised  Madame  de  Montespan  to 
have  recourse  to  the  sorceresses,  ended  his  days  in  the 
Chateau  de  Saint-Andre  de  Salins ; Mademoiselle  Des 
CEillets  was  imprisoned  at  Tours  and  died  there  in  1686  ; 
while  Trianon  saved  all  further  trouble  by  committing 
suicide  at  Vincennes. 

The  most  extraordinary  precautions  were  taken  to 
preserve  the  great  secret.  Louvois  sent  minute  instruc- 
tions to  the  governors  of  the  different  fortresses  in  which 
the  prisoners  were  confined  to  prevent  them  from  holding 
communication  with  other  prisoners  or  with  any  one 
from  the  outside  world,  and  to  secure  that  only  those 
officials  in  whose  discretion  the  most  implicit  confidence 
could  be  placed  should  be  suffered  to  approach  them.1 
As,  however,  he  thought  it  possible  that  the  governors 
themselves  might  be  curious  to  know  something  of  the 
history  of  their  new  guests  and  be  tempted  to  ask  the 


1 On  August  26,  1682,  he  wrote  to  Chauvelin,  Intendant  of  Franche- 
Comte,  as  follows  : — 

“The  King  having  thought  fit  to  send  to  the  Chateau  de  Saint- 
Andre  de  Salins  some  of  the  persons  who  were  arrested  in  virtue  of  the 
decrees  of  the  court  which  dealt  with  the  poisoning  affair,  his  Majesty 
has  commanded  me  to  inform  you  that  his  intention  is  that  you  prepare 
two  rooms  in  the  Chateau  de  Saint-Andre,  in  such  a way  that  six  of  the 
prisoners  may  be  kept  safely  in  each  of  them,  the  which  prisoners  are  to 
have  each  a mattress  in  the  place  prepared  for  them,  and  to  be  fastened, 
either  by  a foot  or  by  a hand,  to  a chain,  which  shall  be  attached  to  the 
wall,  the  said  chain,  however,  to  be  of  sufficient  length  to  allow  of  them 
lying  down.  As  these  persons  are  criminals  who  have  deserved  the 

289  T 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


latter  injudicious  questions,  he  informed  them  that  the 
prisoners  were  abandoned  villains,  who  had  invented  the 
most  infamous  calumnies  against  Madame  de  Montespan, 
the  falsity  of  which  had  been  proved  before  the  Chambre 
Ardente,  and  that  if  one  of  them  ventured  to  open  his 
lips  on  the  subject,  he  was  to  be  soundly  flogged.1 

So  determined  was  Louis  XIV.  to  guard  against  the 
smallest  possibility  of  future  scandal  that,  not  content 
with  incarcerating  all  who  had  been  connected  even 
remotely  with  Madame  de  Montespan,  he  likewise  con- 
demned to  perpetual  confinement  several  persons  whose 
innocence  had  been  fully  established,  but  who  had  had 
the  misfortune  to  be  shut  up  in  the  same  room  with  one 
or  other  of  the  marchioness’s  accomplices.  Thus  a girl 
named  Nanon  Aubert,  who  had  shared  Marguerite  Mon- 
voisin’s  cell  at  Vincennes,  and  “had  been  told  every- 
thing,” spent  the  rest  of  her  days  in  convents,  first,  at 
Besan^on  and,  afterwards,  at  Vesoul,  with  instructions  to 
say  that  she  was  detained  for  dealings  with  a lady  of 
quality  accused  of  poisoning.  “ She  was  made  to  pass 
for  a young  lady  of  rank,  and  the  King  paid  her  a 
mention  of  250  livres.”2 

As  for  the  incriminating  documents — the  reports  of 
the  evidence  of  Marguerite  Monvoisin,  La  Filastre,  and 

most  extreme  penalties  of  the  law,  the  King’s  intention  is  that  they  be 
thus  secured  for  fear  lest  they  should  injure  the  people  set  to  guard 
them,  or  who  pass  in  and  out  of  their  room  to  bring  them  their  food. 

“ His  Majesty’s  intention  is  that  you  prepare  two  similar  rooms  in  the 
citadel  of  Besan^on,  so  that  twelve  of  the  prisoners  may  be  kept  securely 
there.  You  will  observe  that  these  rooms  are  so  situated  that  no  one 
can  hear  what  these  people  say.”- — Archives  de  la  Bastille , vii.  1 12. 

1 M.  Funck-Brentano’s  Le  Drame  des  Poisons , p.  242. 

2 Memoire  sur  les  Prisonniers  de  Besan^on,  Archives  de  la  Bastille , 
vii.  148. 


290 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


the  rest — they  were  locked  up  in  a casket,  which  was 
then  sealed  and  deposited  with  Sagot,  the  clerk  to  the 
Chatelet,  who  had  acted  in  the  same  capacity  for  the 
Chambre.  Twenty-seven  years  later,  on  July  13,  1709, 
Louis  XIV.  directed  that  this  casket  should  be  brought 
to  his  private  cabinet  at  Versailles,  and  there,  in  the 
presence  of  the  Chancellor,  Pontchartrain,  he  burned  its 
contents  himself.  “ His  Majesty  in  Council,  after  having 
looked  through  and  examined  the  minutes  and  pro- 
ceedings laid  before  him  by  the  Chancellor,  and  having 
caused  them  to  be  burnt  in  his  presence,  has  commanded 
and  does  command  that  Gaudion  (the  clerk  to  the 
Chatelet,  in  whose  charge  they  then  were)  should  be 
wholly  and  formally  discharged  of  the  same.”  1 

Thus  Louis  XIV.  believed  that  he  had  buried  for  all 
time  the  whole  shameful  story.  But  though  much  evi- 
dence had  been  destroyed,  much  still  remained;  and  to-day, 
thanks  to  the  indefatigable  researches  of  M.  Ravaisson, 
the  great  secret  is  a secret  no  longer. 


Six  weeks  after  the  Chambre  Ardente  resumed  its 
interrupted  labours  in  the  spring  of  1681,  Nature  gave  to 
Madame  de  Montespan  the  satisfaction  she  had  sought 
from  the  magic  of  Romani  and  the  poison  of  Filastre. 
Poor  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges  did  not  remain  long  at 
Court  after  her  return  from  Chelles  in  August  1680. 
Her  chagrin  at  the  indifference  of  the  fickle  monarch, 
who  no  longer  visited  her  except  to  inquire  after  her 
health,  greatly  aggravated  the  complaint  from  which 
she  was  suffering,  and  early  in  the  following  spring  she 
again  retired  to  Chelles,  “ to  prepare  for  her  journey  to 

1 Proch-verbal  du  13  Juillet  1709,  Archives  de  la  Bastille , vii.  183. 

291 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Eternity.”  1 As  the  death  of  a royal  favourite  in  the 
midst  of  a community  of  nuns  would  have  occasioned 
scandal,  as  soon  as  it  was  seen  that  the  end  was  approach- 
ing she  was  brought  to  Paris,  and  there,  at  the  Abbey 
of  Port-Royal,2  she  expired  on  June  28,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  Bourdaloue  administering  the  last  sacra- 
ments. 

The  girl  died  convinced  that  she  had  been  poisoned, 
and  suspecting  Madame  de  Montespan,  a conviction 
which  would  appear  to  have  been  shared  by  Louis  XIV., 
for,  immediately  on  learning  of  what  had  occurred,  he 
wrote  to  the  Due  de  Noailles,  who  had  been  present  on 
his  behalf  at  the  death-bed,3  as  follows  : — 

Louis  XIV.  to  the  Due  de  Noailles. 

“ Saturday,  10  o'clock. 

“Although  I had  been  expecting  for  a long  time  the 
news  that  you  have  sent  me,  it  has  not  failed  to  occasion 
me  surprise  and  grief.  I see  by  your  letter  that  you 
have  given  all  the  orders  necessary  for  carrying  out  my 
instructions  to  you.  You  have  only  to  continue  as  you 
have  begun.  Remain  as  long  as  your  presence  is  required, 
and  afterwards  come  and  render  me  an  account  of  every- 
thing. 

“ You  say  nothing  about  Pere  Bourdaloue. 

“ In  regard  to  the  desire  that  has  been  expressed  that 

1 Letter  of  Madame  de  Sevigne  to  Bussy-Rabutin,  April  3,  1681. 

2 This  monastery  must  not  be  confused  with  the  famous  Jansenist 
stronghold,  Port-Royal  des  Champs,  levelled  to  the  ground  in  1709, 
which  was  situated  near  Chevreuse.  Port-Royal  de  Paris  survived  to 
the  Revolution. 

s Several  writers  have  asserted  that  Louis  himself  was  present,  but 
this  is  quite  untrue. 


292 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


an  autopsy  should  be  held,  I think  that  the  best  course  would 
be  to  avoid  it  if  'possible. 

“ Present  my  compliments  to  the  brothers  and  sisters, 
and  assure  them  that,  when  occasion  arises,  they  will 
always  find  me  ready  to  give  them  marks  of  my 
protection. 

“ Louis.”  1 

Noailles,  acting  on  the  King’s  instructions,  used  every 
endeavour  to  prevent  an  autopsy  being  held ; but  the 
dead  woman’s  relatives  insisted  on  it,  and  it  was,  accord- 
ingly,  performed  by  six  surgeons,  who  declared  that  the 
young  duchess  had  died  from  natural  causes,  and,  in  spite 
of  the  statements  to  the  contrary  made  by  the  Princess 
Palatine,  Madame  de  Caylus,  and  other  chroniclers,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  that  such  was  the  case. 

The  body  of  the  ill-fated  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges 
was  buried  in  the  church  of  the  Abbey  of  Port-Royal ; 
but,  at  the  desire  of  her  sister,  the  heart  was  deposited  at 
Chelles.  Here  is  an  account  of  the  last  ceremonies  : — 

“ Presentation  of  the  body  of  Madame  de  Fontanges  to 
Fort-Royal  de  Paris , the  day  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul , 
1 68 1. 

“ This  is  the  body  of  Madame  la  Duchesse  de  Fontanges 
which  we  present  to  you.  Monsieur,  and  to  which  we  pray 
you  to  give  ecclesiastical  burial  in  the  interior  of  this 
monastery  and  repose  in  the  midst  of  the  spouses  of 
Jesus  Christ.  We  render  thanks  to  this  Jesus,  who  is  the 
master  of  hearts,  in  that  He  has  arrested  on  a sudden  His 
creature  in  the  headlong  course  of  her  desires  and  worldly 

1 Bibliotheque  du  Louvre,  MS.  Corrcspondance  de  Xoaiiles  ; Clement’s 
Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIV.,  p.  402. 

293 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


prosperity,  as  formerly  He  did  St.  Paul,  and  keeping 
her  cast  down  under  His  all-powerful  hand  and  under  the 
weight  of  a long  and  grievous  malady,  He  has  inspired 
her  with  a salutary  remorse,  and,  awakening  in  her 
sentiments  of  faith  and  piety,  has  rendered  her  worthy, 
after  great  miseries,  to  experience  great  mercies,  and  to  be 
a touching  example  for  this  age.  You  have  had  her  with 
you  a faithful  servant  of  Jesus  Christ.  She  has  escaped 
from  you  and  He  has  taken  her  to  Himself : Behold, 
He  has  brought  her  back  and  gives  her  back  to  you  ! 
Offer  for  her,  we  beg  of  you,  the  sacrifice  of  praise  and 
prayer,  and  do  us  the  favour  of  giving  us  a part  in  it.” 

“ Presentation  of  her  heart  to  Chelles. 

“ . . . This  heart,”  said  the  abbess,  “ was  God’s  at 
first ; the  world  gained  it.  God  has  at  length  recovered 
that  which  was  his ; but  it  was  not  surrendered  without 
difficulty.  . . .” 1 

1 Bibliotheque  Nationale,  MSS.  Portefeuillcs  Valiant ; Clement’s 
Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIV.,  p.  405. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


To  avoid  all  possibility  of  scandal,  Louis  XIV.  decides  that 
Madame  de  Montespan  must  be  allowed  to  remain  at  Court 
— And  be  treated  with  the  same  consideration  as  before — 
Wonderful  self-control  of  the  King — Madame  de  Maintenon 
“ on  the  very  pinnacle  of  favour  ” — Nightly  conferences 
between  her  and  Louis  XIV. — She  brings  about  a reconcilia- 
tion between  the  King  and  Queen — Her  conduct  in  this  matter 
not  so  disinterested  as  some  imagine — “ I am  but  too  much 
extolled  ” — The  conversion  of  Louis  XIV.  not  yet  complete 
— Madame  de  Maintenon  in  constant  dread  of  a lapse  from 
grace — Mademoiselle  d’Ore  partakes  of  med'umoche  with  the 
King — Alarm  of  the  devout  party — Precautions  taken  by 
Madame  de  Maintenon  and  Madame  de  Montespan  to  dis- 
guise their  antagonism  from  the  world — Curious  anecdote 
related  by  Madame  de  Caylus— Death  of  the  Oueen — An 
intelligent  anticipation  of  events — The  virtue  of  the  King  in 
jeopardy — Madame  de  Maintenon’s  agitation — Louis  XIV. 
offers  his  hand  to  Madame  de  Maintenon — Probable  reasons 
for  this  step — The  amazing  marriage. 

The  same  reasons  which  had  prompted  Louis  XIV.  to 
decline  to  permit  Madame  de  Montespan’s  accusers  to 
be  brought  to  trial  operated  to  save  the  marchioness 
from  being  driven  from  Court.  Although  the  ex- 
favourite’s connection  with  the  Poisoners  was  known  to 
but  a handful  of  persons  besides  the  King — Louvois, 
Colbert,  La  Reynie,  Bazin  de  Bezons,  the  advocate 
Duplessis,  and  possibly  one  or  two  others — all  of  whom 
were,  of  course,  pledged  to  the  most  inviolable  secrecy, 
the  charges  brought  against  her  by  several  contemporary 

29!> 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


writers  in  regard  to  the  death  of  Mademoiselle  de 
Fontanges  show  that  it  was  strongly  suspected  ; and  to 
exile  her  would  undoubtedly  have  had  the  effect  of 
raising  these  suspicions  to  the  point  of  certainty.  Louis, 
therefore,  decided  that  she  must  remain  at  Court,  and 
not  only  must  remain,  but  that  he  must  continue  to 
accord  her  those  marks  of  his  regard  which,  as  the  mother 
of  legitimated  princes  and  princesses,  the  world  con- 
sidered she  had  the  right  to  expect. 

It  was  now  that  that  wonderful  self-control  which 
never  failed  him  even  in  the  darkest  hours  of  his  reign, 
when  France  was  well-nigh  prostrate  at  the  feet  of  her 
enemies  and  his  very  throne  seemed  tottering ; that  calm 
and  tranquil  majesty  which  stamps  him  as  the  greatest 
actor  of  royalty  who  ever  lived,  and  is  perhaps  his  best 
claim  on  the  admiration  of  posterity,  came  to  Louis’s 
aid,  and  enabled  him,  in  spite  of  the  horror  and  indigna- 
tion which  the  crimes  of  this  woman  must  have  aroused, 
to  receive  her  with  smiles  and  compliments,  to  inquire 
with  apparent  solicitude  after  her  health,  to  consult  her 
wishes  in  regard  to  the  festivities  of  the  Court,  to  pay 
her  daily  visits,  to  treat  her  in  every  respect  as  if  she 
had  done  nothing  whatever  to  forfeit  his  esteem.  But 
human  endurance  has  its  limits,  and,  though  the  King’s 
conduct  deceived  careless  observers,  practised  eyes  were 
quick  to  note  a change ; and,  whereas,  previous  to  the 
journey  to  Flanders,  it  had  been  Louis’s  invariable  custom 
to  spend  an  hour  or  two  each  day  in  his  former  mistress’s 
apartments,  Madame  de  Sevigne  now  reports  that  these 
visits  seldom  lasted  more  than  a few  minutes. 


296 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


The  proceedings  before  the  Chambre  Ardente,  which 
dealt  so  deadly  a blow  to  the  pretensions  of  Madame  de 
Montespan,  naturally  served  but  to  augment  the  influence 
of  her  rival.  For  the  first  time  in  his  life  Louis  XIV. 
realised  to  the  full  the  terrible  consequences  of  his  law- 
less passions.  Several  of  the  ladies  who  had  been  most 
deeply  compromised  by  the  declarations  of  the  sorceresses 
— Madame  de  Montespan,  the  Comtesse  de  Soissons,  the 
Duchesse  de  Vivonne,  and  others — had  resorted  to  these 
wretches,  had  taken  part  in  these  unspeakable  abomina- 
tions, chiefly,  if  not  solely,  for  one  purpose — to  gain  or 
to  regain  the  love  of  their  sovereign  or  to  cause  the 
death  or  disgrace  of  a successful  rival  in  his  affections. 
If  he  had  listened  to  the  exhortations  of  Bourdaloue, 
Bossuet,  and  Mascaron  ; if  he  had  led  a reputable  and 

Christian  life ; if  he  had  done  his  duty  to  his  God  and 

to  his  people,  these  frightful  crimes  would  never  have 
polluted  his  Court.  It  was  to  their  King  that  the 

French  nobility  looked  for  an  example ; and  what 

example  had  their  King  set  them  ? Of  all  the  high- 
born criminals  whose  misdeeds  had  been  brought  to  light 
not  one  was  so  guilty  as  he.  Deeply  religious  at  heart, 
firmly  convinced  as  he  was  that  he  held  his  throne  as  a 
trust  direct  from  God,  he  shuddered  when  he  reflected 
that  one  day  he  would  be  called  upon  to  give  an  account  of 
his  stewardship — of  the  stewardship  whose  duties  he  had 
neglected  and  whose  privileges  he  had  so  grossly  misused. 

Under  these  circumstances,  one  can  well  understand 
that  Louis  should  have  turned  a willing  ear  to  the  pious 
counsels  of  the  lady  who  “ knew  how  to  make  virtue 
attractive,”  and  should  have  sought  her  society  more 
assiduously  than  ever.  On  September  1 1 the  gazette 
Sevign£  announces  that  “ Madame  de  Maintenon  is  on 

297 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


the  very  pinnacle  of  favour  ” ; and,  a week  later,  we 
learn  from  the  same  source  that  the  courtiers  are  whis- 
pering that  Madame  de  Maintenon  is  now  Madame  de 
Maintenant  (the  lady  of  the  present)  ; that  she  spends 
every  evening  from  eight  o’clock  till  ten  with  his  Majesty, 
and  that  “ M.  de  Chamarante  (first  maitre  d'hotel  to  the 
Dauphiness)  conducts  her  thither  and  back  again  before 
all  the  world.” 

The  first  result  of  these  nightly  conferences  was  a 
rapprochement  between  the  King  and  Queen.  “ I am 
informed  that  the  Queen  is  very  well  at  Court,”  writes 
Madame  de  Sevigne,  “ and  that  the  complaisance  and  in- 
terest she  has  shown  during  the  journey  (to  Flanders), 
visiting  all  the  fortifications  and  travelling  everywhere 
without  complaining  of  heat  or  fatigue,  have  gained  her 
a thousand  marks  of  regard.”  1 Louis,  in  fact,  now  paid 
his  long-neglected  consort  such  continual  attentions  that 
the  poor  woman  declared  that  she  had  never  been  so 
happy  in  her  life.  “ She  was  touched  to  the  very  verge 
of  tears,”  says  Mademoiselle  d’Aumale,  “and  exclaimed 
in  a kind  of  transport : ‘ God  has  raised  up  Madame  de 
Maintenon  to  bring  me  back  the  heart  of  the  King.’  She 
took  every  opportunity  of  testifying  her  gratitude,  and 
allowed  the  whole  Court  to  see  the  esteem  in  which  she 
held  her.”  2 

Madame  de  Maintenon’s  enthusiastic  admirers  affect 
to  see  in  this  circumstance  a convincing  proof  of  the 

1 Madame  de  Sevigne  to  Madame  de.Grignan,  August  28,  1680. 

2 Quoted  by  M.  Lavallee  in  Correspondance  generate  de  Madame  de 
Maintenon,  ii.  259  note.  M.  Clement  rather  unkindly  reminds  us  that 
Mademoiselle  d’Auma'e  was  Madame  de  Maintenon’s  most  intimate 
confidante,  and  that  these  interesting  details  could  only  have  been 
furnished  her  by  the  lady  herself.  “ The  one  relates,  the  other  holds 

298 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


disinterestedness  of  the  lady’s  motives  ; but,  to  the  im- 
partial observer  we  venture  to  think  this  disinterested- 
ness will  not  be  so  apparent.  The  King  had  returned  to 
his  consort,  filled  with  virtuous  resolutions ; but  could 
this  consort — this  poor,  weak  woman,  who  positively 
trembled  in  the  presence  of  her  magnificent  husband, 
who,  Madame  de  Caylus  tells  us,  was  so  overcome  with 
terror  when  Louis  happened  to  send  for  her  unexpectedly 
on  one  occasion  that  she  implored  Madame  de  Maintenon 
to  bear  her  company,  lest  she  should  be  too  embarrassed 
to  answer  the  questions  he  might  address  to  her — satisfy 
his  need  for  companionship  and  single-handed  keep  him 
in  the  edifying  path  of  conjugal  duty  ? If  Louis  were 
to  carry  out  his  good  resolutions,  if  he  were  to  remain 
proof  against  the  wiles  of  all  the  light  beauties  who 
adorned  the  Court,  a confidante,  an  amie  necessaire,  a 
female  confessor  would  be  absolutely  indispensable.  And 
to  whom  should  the  King  turn  for  the  sympathy  and 
support  which  he  needed  but  to  the  pious  lady  who  had 
so  powerfully  contributed  to  wean  him  from  his  wicked 
ways  ? And  was  not  this  post  of  keeper  of  the  conscience 
of  the  greatest  monarch  in  Christendom  one  of  exceeding 
honour,  exquisite  in  its  singularity,  calculated  to  arouse 
the  wonder  and  admiration  of  all  the  devout  ? Let  us 
listen  to  the  enthusiastic  M.  Lavallee  : — 

“Louis  XIV.  was  now  in  his  forty-ninth  year,  and 
people  saw  with  dismay  that  this  prince  had  not  yet 
abandoned  the  irregularities  of  youth,  that  he  was 

the  pen.”  On  the  other  hand,  a letter  from  Madame  de  Maintenon  to 
her  brother,  Charles  d’Aubigne,  dated  December  i,  1682,  informs  him 
that  “ the  Queen  had  done  her  the  honour  to  give  her  her  portrait  at 
Chambord,”  which  would  seem  to  confirm  Mademoiselle  d’Aumale’s 
story. 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


becoming  more  and  more  the  slave  of  his  pleasures,  and 
that  he  was  advancing  towards  a disgraceful  old  age,  in 
which  his  own  glory  and  that  of  his  country  would  be 
tarnished.  Now,  the  King  was  not  only  the  head  of  the 
State  but  its  very  soul ; he  was  the  country  incarnate,  a 
sort  of  visible  Providence  and  the  lieutenant  of  God  on 
earth  ; he  was,  in  short,  the  man  who  was  responsible  for 
the  happiness  and  the  safety  of  twenty  millions  of  men, 
of  the  fortune  and  the  future  of  the  first  Christian  nation. 
What  would  have  become  of  this  royalty  of  divine 
essence  and  its  divine  and  glorious  mission  with  a prince 
neglectful  of  his  first  duties,  whose  passions  rose  superior 
to  all  the  laws  of  God  and  man,  surrounded  by  women  im- 
ploring a glance  from  him,  and  by  courtiers  who  had 
built  up  infamous  hopes  on  the  future  scandals  of  a 
licentious  reign  ? What  would  have  become  of  France  if 
she  had  been  afflicted  by  a Louis  XV.  before  her  time,  at 
a moment  when  she  was  about  to  enter  into  the  dangers 
and  difficulties  to  which  the  English  Revolution  and  the 
Succession  in  Spain  gave  rise  ? Out  of  this  slough 
Madame  de  Maintenon  drew  Louis  XIV. ; she  brought 
him  back  to  his  duties,  to  the  assiduous  care  of  his 
realm,  to  the  good  example  that  he  owed  his  subjects; 
she  dissipated  the  clouds  of  pride  which  enveloped 
him,  and  made  him  descend  from  Olympus  to  inspire 
him  with  Christian  sentiments  of  repentance,  of  modera- 
tion, of  tenderness  for  his  subjects,  and,  above  all,  of 
humility  . . .”1 

Did  ever  devout  lady  secure  so  amazing  a triumph  ? 
Madame  de  Maintenon,  to  give  her  her  due,  set  but 
small  store  by  the  things  to  which  other  royal  favourites 
attached  so  much  importance  ; reasonable  comfort  in  the 

1 Correspondance  generate  de  Madame  de  Maintenon , ii.  147. 

300 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


present,  reasonable  security  for  the  future,  was  all  she 
demanded.  But  she  loved  the  praise  of  men,  and  especi- 
ally the  praise  of  the  godly.  It  was  to  her  what  tabourets , 
and  pensions,  and  resplendent  toilettes,  and  flashing 
jewels,  and  eight-horse  coaches,  and  royal  guards  were  to 
the  Montespans  and  the  Fontanges.  And  the  praise  of 
the  godly  she  now  received  ; good  measure,  pressed  down, 
running  over.  “ All  good  men,”  says  M.  Lavallee,  “ the 
Pope,1  the  bishops,  applauded  the  victory  of  Madame  de 
Maintenon,  and  considered  that  she  had  rendered  a signal 
service  to  the  King  and  to  the  State.”  “ I am  but  too  much 
extolled  (( glorifiee ),”  wrote  the  lady  with  proud  humility, 
“ for  certain  good  intentions  which  I owe  to  God.” 

It  must  not  be  supposed  that  the  conversion  of 
Louis  XIV. — that  remarkable  transition  from  licentious- 
ness to  gloomy  bigotry — was  as  yet  complete  ; the  habits 
of  twenty  years  are  not  shaken  off  in  a day,  and,  in  the 
meanwhile,  Madame  de  Maintenon  lived  in  constant  dread 
of  a lapse  from  grace.  She  had  nothing  to  fear  from 
Madame  de  Montespan,  for  although  it  is  extremely 
improbable  that  she  knew  anything  of  the  revelations 
of  Marguerite  Monvoisin  and  her  fellow-prisoners,  she 
could  not  fail  to  discern  that  something  had  occurred 
which  had  rendered  that  haughty  dame  as  harmless  as 

1 Innocent  XI.  took  the  most  lively  interest  in  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon’s  pious  machinations.  The  relations  between  the  Head  of  the 
Catholic  Church  and  the  Most  Christian  King  had  been  exceedingly 
strained  for  some  years  past,  and,  doubtless,  the  Pontiff  considered  that 
the  monarch’s  conversion  might  pave  the  way  to  a better  understanding 
between  them,  and  lead  to  Louis  surrendering  the  absurd  privileges 
claimed  by  the  French  Ambassador  at  the  Vatican  and  other  pretensions. 
He  sent  several  briefs,  relics,  and  so  forth  to  the  lady,  and,  on  one 
occasion,  a corpo  satito,  a martyr’s  body  from  the  Catacombs,  whom,  as 
usual  when  the  true  name  is  unknown,  he  called  St.  Candida, 

301 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


was  poor  Louise  de  La  Valliere  in  her  convent  cell.  But 
there  was  always  the  possibility  of  danger  arising  in  a 
fresh  quarter ; and  from  time  to  time  some  new  star 
would  make  its  appearance  upon  the  horizon  and  for  a 
moment  shine  with  an  effulgence  which  occasioned  the 
worthy  lady  no  little  uneasiness.  “ I have  been  suffering 
terribly  from  melancholy  vapeurs f’1  she  writes  from 
Fontainebleau  (August  5,  1681)  to  her  friend,  the 
Marquis  de  Montchevreuil.2  “I  never  come  here 
without  getting  them,  but  never  have  I had  them  so 
violently.  I believe  you  already  know  Mademoiselle 
d’Ore.  On  Saturday  she  partook  of  medianoche  with  the 
King.  They  say  that  she  has  a sister  even  more  beautiful 
than  herself ; but  that  is  no  concern  of  ours.”3 

This  Mademoiselle  d’Or£,  or  de  Dore,  who  was  re- 
sponsible for  Madame  de  Maintenon’s  vapeurs , appears 
to  have  been  attached  in  some  capacity  to  Madame  de 
Montespan,  and  it  was  believed  that  her  charms  had  been 
brought  under  the  King’s  notice  by  the  ex-favourite,  with 
the  object  of  arresting  the  triumphant  progress  of  her 
rival.  This  is  not  improbable,  but  is  of  no  consequence, 
for  although  his  Majesty’s  attentions  to  the  lady  threw 

1 Vapeurs  seem  to  have  been  the  conventional  name  for  hysterical 
complaints. 

2 Henri  de  Mornay,  Marquis  de  Montchevreuil,  gouverneur  to  the 
Due  du  Maine.  “ A very  worthy  man,”  says  Saint-Simon,  “ modest 
and  brave,  but  most  thick-headed  and  beggarly  as  a church  rat.”  His 
wife  {nee  Marguerite  Boucher  d’Orsay)  was  high  in  favour  with 
Madame  de  Maintenon,  and,  in  later  years,  according  to  the  above- 
mentioned  chronicler,  acted  as  the  head  of  that  lady’s  intelligence 
department.  “ Without  any  understanding,  she  acquired  such  influence 
over  Madame  de  Maintenon  that  she  saw  only  with  her  eyes.  She 
exercised  surveillance  over  all  the  ladies  of  the  Court  ; and  every  one, 
even  the  Ministers  and  the  King’s  daughters,  trembled  before  her.” 

8 Correspondance  generale  de  Madame  de  Maintenon,  ii.  196. 

302 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


the  devout  party  into  momentary  trepidation,  the  affair 
proved  merely  a galanterie — perhaps  only  a flirtation — 
and  occasioned  no  scandal. 

The  attitude  adopted  by  Madame  de  Montespan  and 
Madame  de  Maintenon  towards  each  other  at  this  period 
is  not  a little  singular.  Bitter  as  was  their  antagonism, 
they  took  the  most  elaborate  precautions  to  conceal  their 
real  feelings  from  the  world,  and  when  they  happened  to 
meet  in  public,  invariably  conversed  with  so  much  anima- 
tion and  cordiality  that  people  who  were  not  well  in- 
formed in  regard  to  the  intrigues  of  the  Court  would 
have  supposed  them  to  be  the  best  of  friends.  “ Madame 
de  Montespan  and  I,”  writes  Madame  de  Maintenon  to 
Montchevreuil,  “ took  a walk  together  yesterday,  arm- 
in-arm  and  laughing  heartily  ; but  we  are  on  none  the 
better  terms  for  all  that.”1  If  we  are  to  believe  Madame 
de  Caylus,  these  demonstrations  of  friendship  were  the 
outcome  of  an  understanding  between  them.  “ I re- 
collect,” she  says,  “ that,  on  one  occasion  during  some 
journey  of  the  Court,  they  found  themselves  obliged  to 
travel  in  the  same  coach,  and,  I fancy,  tete-a-tete.  Madame 
de  Montespan  was  the  first  to  speak,  and  said,  ‘ Let  us  not 
become  the  dupes  of  this  affair,  but  converse  as  if  we  had  no 
cause  of  quarrel.’  ‘ Of  course,’  she  continued,  ‘ that  will 
not  necessitate  our  loving  each  other  any  the  more,  and 
on  our  return  we  can  resume  our  former  relations.’  ”2 

Apart  from  the  birth  of  the  Due  de  Bourgogne,  eldest 
son  of  the  Dauphin,  the  two  years  which  followed  were 
comparatively  uneventful  ones  at  the  Court  of  le  Grand 
Monarque , that  is  to  say,  from  the  courtier  point  of  view. 

1 Correspondance  generate  de  Madame  de  Maintenon , ii.  179. 

5 Souvenirs  et  Correspondance  de  Madame  de  Caylus  (edit.  1889), 

p.  81. 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Madame  de  Maintenon  continued  to  keep  watch  and  ward 
over  the  morals  of  the  King,  a task  which  would  appear 
to  have  required  the  exercise  of  unsleeping  vigilance,  for 
in  one  of  her  letters  to  the  Abbe  Gobelin  she  warns  him 
that  “ she  had  more  than  ever  need  of  his  counsels  and 
prayers.”1  But  in  the  summer  of  1683  an  event  of 
great  importance  took  place — an  event  which  opened  a 
new  destiny  to  Madame  de  Maintenon.  The  Queen 
died. 

On  May  26  Louis  XIV.,  accompanied  by  the  Queen 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  Court,  including,  needless  to 
say,  his  Majesty’s  female  confessor,  left  Versailles  to 
inspect  the  troops  stationed  in  Burgundy  and  Alsace.  On 
their  return,  at  the  end  of  July,  the  Queer.,  who  had 
greatly  overtaxed  her  strength  during  the  journey,  was 
attacked  by  an  illness  which  rendered  an  operation — a 
very  simple  one — necessary.  Instead  of  performing  it, 
Fagon,  her  chief  physician,  recommended  that  she  should 
be  bled,  and,  strongly  against  the  advice  of  his  colleagues, 
this  was  done,  with  the  result  that  on  July  30,  1683,  four 
days  after  she  had  been  taken  ill,  poor  Maria  Theresa 
died  at  the  age  of  forty-five. 

A very  significant  incident  occurred  beside  the  death- 
bed, where  Louis  stood  shedding  bitter  tears — of  remorse, 
let  us  hope — and  exclaiming,  “This  is  the  only  grief  she 
has  ever  caused  me.”  Madame  de  Maintenon,  who  had 
been  unwearied  in  her  attentions  to  the  royal  patient, 
seeing  that  all  was  over,  was  about  to  retire  to  her 
apartments,  when  the  Due  de  La  Rochefoucauld  2 took 

1 Correspondance  generate  de  Madame  de  Maintenon,  ii.  271. 

2 Francis  VII.,  Due  de  La  Rochefoucauld,  Prince  de  Marsillac 
(1634-1714).  He  was  the  son  of  the  author  of  the  famous  Maximes, 
and  a great  favourite  of  Louis  XIV. 

3°4 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


her  by  the  arm  and  drew  her  towards  the  King,  saying, 
“ This  is  not  the  time  to  leave  him,  Madame.  In  the 
state  in  which  he  now  is  he  requires  you.”1 

Truly  an  intelligent  anticipation  of  events! 

Immediately  after  the  Queen’s  death  Louis  went  to 
Saint-Cloud,  where  he  remained  a few  days,  and  then 
to  Fontainebleau,  whither  Madame  de  Maintenon,  in 
attendance  on  the  Dauphiness,  followed  him.  She 
appeared  before  his  Majesty  clad  in  the  deepest  mourn- 
ing and  with  an  air  so  lugubrious  that  the  King,  who 
had  speedily  recovered  from  the  emotion  he  had  dis- 
played at  his  consort’s  deathbed,  could  not  refrain  from 
laughing.2 

Let  us  hasten  to  add  that  Madame  de  Maintenon’s 
grief  at  poor  Maria  Theresa’s  early  death  was  perfectly 
genuine,  although  it  certainly  did  not  proceed  from  any 
feeling  of  affection  for  that  long-suffering  Princess.  In 
losing  the  Queen  she  had  lost  a very  useful,  almost 
an  indispensable,  pawn  in  her  game.  So  long  as  the 
Queen  lived  and  the  King  remained  on  good  terms  with 
his  consort,  the  work  of  conversion,  and,  with  it,  her  own 
glorification,  might  have  been  trusted  to  go  on  smoothly 
enough.  But  her  death  had  completely  changed  the 
situation,  and,  notwithstanding  the  assertions  of  Madame 
de  Maintenon’s  enemies  to  the  contrary,  we  firmlv  believe 
that  such  a contingency  had  never  been  seriously  taken 
into  account  by  that  lady,  and  that  it  found  her  totally 
unprepared. 

The  position  of  affairs  indeed  was  one  which  might  well 
cause  her  anxiety.  The  King  was  very  unlikely  to  marry 

1 Souvenirs  et  Correspondance  de  Madame  de  Cay/us  (edit.  1889), 
p.  124..  2 Ibid. 


305 


u 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


a foreign  princess ; the  Treasury,  depleted  by  constant 
wars  and  ruinous  expenditure  at  home,  was  in  no  condition 
to  support  a second  family,  and,  of  course,  it  was  impos- 
sible to  guarantee  that,  if  he  did  marry  again,  a second 
family  would  not  arrive.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  if  he 
were  to  remain  a widower,  was  it  not  almost  too  much 
to  hope  that  his  newly-acquired  virtue  would  continue 
proof  against  the  assaults  of  all  the  ambitious  beauties  who 
were  already  preparing  for  his  subjugation,  now  that  a 
deviation  from  the  straight  path  no  longer  necessarily 
implied  a breach  of  the  Seventh  Commandment,  and 
would  undoubtedly  be  palliated  by  all  but  the  most  rigid 
moralists  on  the  specious  pretext  of  political  expediency? 

Madame  de  Maintenon’s  conduct  at  this  juncture 
reveals  the  most  profound  agitation  of  mind.  She  scarcely 
seemed  to  hear  when  people  addressed  her;  she  shed  floods 
of  tears  ; she  roamed  about  the  Forest  of  Fontainebleau, 
sometimes  even  at  unseemly  hours,  with  no  other  com- 
panion than  her  faithful  henchwoman,  Madame  de 
Montchevreuil,  greatly  to  the  astonishment  of  the  ladies 
of  the  Court.  Her  letters,  too,  are  in  keeping  with  her 
conduct.  “ I implore  you  to  pray  for  the  King,”  she 
writes,  a fortnight  after  the  Queen’s  death,  to  Madame 
de  Brinon,  the  superior  of  a home  for  little  girls  she  had 
lately  founded  at  Noisy  ; “ he  has  more  need  of  grace 
than  ever  to  sustain  a state  contrary  to  his  inclinations 
and  habits.” 1 And  to  her  brother,  a little  later,  she 
writes  : “ The  longer  I live,  the  more  clearly  I recognise 
the  futility  of  making  plans  and  projects  for  the  future ; 
God  nearly  always  brings  them  to  nought,  and,  as  He 
is  hardly  ever  taken  into  account  when  they  are  made, 
He  does  not  bless  them.”  2 

1 Correspondance  generate,  ii.  307.  2 Ibid.,  p.  316. 

306 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


But  presently  the  clouds  roll  by,  the  sun  shines  forth 
once  more,  and,  on  September  20,  1684,  she  writes  to  the 
Abbe  Gobelin — to  the  Abb6  Gobelin,  who  had  given  her 
so  much  good  counsel  and  was  now  doubtless  to  reap  his 
reward  : “ Do  not  forget  me  before  God,  for  I have  great 
need  of  strength  to  make  a good  use  of  my  happiness .”  1 

The  royal  widower  had  offered  his  hand  to  the  keeper 
of  his  conscience  ! 

Much  has  been  written  about  the  reasons  which  induced 
Louis  XIV.  to  take  this  step,  but,  in  our  opinion,  the 
Abbe  de  Choisy  comes  nearer  the  truth  than  any  of  his 
contemporaries.  Here  is  what  he  says  : — 

“ He  (Louis  XIV.)  was  unwilling  to  marry  through 
consideration  for  his  people,  and  wisely  judged  that  the 
princes  of  a second  marriage  might,  in  course  of  time, 
cause  civil  wars.  On  the  other  hand,  he  could  not  dis- 
pense with  a wife.2  Madame  de  Maintenon  pleased  him 
greatly.  Her  gentle,  insinuating  wit  promised  him  an 
agreeable  intercourse  capable  of  recreating  him  after  the 
cares  of  royalty.  Her  person  was  still  engaging,  and  her 
age  prevented  her  from  having  children.”  3 To  which 
we  may  add  that  Louis  was  sincerely  desirous  of  leading 
a regular  life,  and  that,  as  Lamartine  remarks,  “ an  attach- 
ment to  Madame  de  Maintenon  seemed  almost  the  same 
thing  as  an  attachment  to  virtue  itself.”  4 

Although  of  the  marriage  itself  there  is  not  a shadow 

1 Correspondence  generate , ii.  307. 

2 According  to  the  Due  de  Luynes,  Madame  de  Montespan,  dreading 
the  final  triumph  of  her  rival,  said,  a few  days  after  the  Queen’s  death  : 
“ We  must  think  about  marrying  him  again  as  soon  as  possible,  other- 
wise, if  I know  anything  about  him,  he  will  make  a bad  marriage  rather 
than  not  make  one  at  all.” 

3 Mimoires  de  /’ Abbi  de  Cboisy  (edit.  1888),  ii.  90. 

4 Lamartine’s  Etude  sur  Bossuet. 


3°7 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


of  doubt,  no  documentary  evidence  of  it  exists,  and  the 
date  is  uncertain.  All  that  is  known  is  that  at  midnight, 
some  time  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1684,1  seven 
persons  met  in  the  private  apartments  of  the  King  at 
Versailles.  These  were  Louis  XIV.  and  Madame  de 
Maintenon;  Pere  de  La  Chaise,  who  said  mass;  Harlay 
de  Chanvallon,  Archbishop  of  Paris,  who  gave  the  nuptial 
blessing ; Louvois  and  Montchevreuil,  who  acted  as  wit- 
nesses; and  Bontemps,  the  King’s  confidential  valet-de- 
chambre,  last  seen  in  a much  less  edifying  role,  who 
prepared  the  altar  and  served  the  mass. 

The  daughter  of  the  criminal  Francois  d’Aubign£  the 
widow  of  the  needy  poet  Scarron,  the  head  nurse  of 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  adulterine  children,  had  become 
the  unrecognised  consort  of  the  greatest  king  in  Chris- 
tendom ! 

1 Saint-Simon  says  the  end  of  January  ; M.  Lavallee  thinks  it  was 
during  the  first  week  in  April ; other  writers  place  it  as  late  as  the 
month  of  June.  We  are  inclined  to  agree  with  M.  Lavallee,  who  gives 
two  reasons  for  his  selection.  The  first  is  a letter  written  by  Madame 
de  Maintenon  to  her  brother,  Charles  d’Aubigne,  on  April  7,  in 
which  the  following  passages  occur  : “ This  journey  (the  Court  was 
about  to  accompany  the  King  to  Flanders)  troubles  me,  since  we  shall 
not  be  long  with  the  King.  ...  I do  not  like  to  inveigh  against  any  one, 
and  less  at  this  hour  than  ever .”  The  second  is  the  fact  that  Dangeau, 
a most  devoted  henchman  of  Louis  XIV.  and  Madame  de  Maintenon, 
commences  his  famous  Journal  on  April  1. 


308 


CHAPTER  XX 

Influence  of  Madame  de  Maintenon  after  her  marriage  with 
Louis  XIV.  considered — She  decides  to  tolerate  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  presence  at  Court  until  she  has  consolidated  her 
power — Madame  de  Montespan  reconciles  herself  to  the 
situation — Louis  XIV. ’s  daily  life  at  this  period — Madame  de 
Montespan  leaves  her  old  apartments  for  a suite  more  remote 
from  those  of  the  King — But  makes  Louis  a magnificent  New 
Year’s  Gift — And  is  still,  to  all  appearance,  high  in  favour — 
Revival  of  the  antagonism  between  her  and  Madame  de 
Maintenon — The  latter  determines  to  drive  Madame  de 
Montespan  from  Court — Madame  de  Montespan’s  lon-mots  at 
her  expense— Madame  de  Montespan  excluded  from  a visit  of 
the  Court  to  Bareges — Her  fury  and  mortification — The  King 
spends  all  his  time  with  Madame  de  Maintenon— But  finally 
resumes  his  visits  to  his  former  mistress — Marriage  of  Made- 
moiselle de  Nantes  and  the  Due  de  Bourbon — Marriage  of  the 
Due  d’Antin  and  Mademoiselle  d’Uzes — Boyhood  of  the 
Due  d’Antin — His  anxiety  to  push  his  fortunes  at  Court — 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  liberality  to  him — Her  present  to  his 
wife — Madame  de  Montespan  becomes  a comparatively  un- 
important person  at  Court — Estrangement  between  her  and 
her  eldest  son,  the  Due  du  Maine,  who  is  completely  under 
the  influence  of  Madame  de  Maintenon — Madame  de 
Montespan’s  benefactions  to  the  Convent  of  Saint-Joseph — 

She  decides  to  retire  from  Court  and  make  it  her  head- 
quarters— And  requests  Bossuet  to  inform  the  King  of  her 
intention — She  repents  of  her  resolution,  but  too  late. 

The  amount  of  influence  exercised  by  Madame  de 
Maintenon  after  her  marriage  with  Louis  XIV.  has  been 

309 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

the  subject  of  almost  as  much  dispute  as  the  lady’s 
character,  and  is  by  no  means  easy  to  determine.  But 
we  are  inclined  to  think,  as  we  have  already  said,  that  in 
affairs  of  State  it  was  really  very  small — infinitesimally  small 
compared  with  that  wielded  by  Madame  de  Pompadour 
in  the  succeeding  reign.  Louis  never  let  the  reins  of 
government  out  of  his  hands  for  a single  moment,  and  if 
he  transacted  business  with  his  Ministers  in  her  apart- 
ments; if  he  sometimes  jestingly  inquired,  “ What  thinks 
your  Solidity  on  this  matter  ? ” he  was  quick  to  resent  the 
very  smallest  attempt  on  her  Solidity’s  part  to  interfere 
in  matters  which  he  considered  outside  the  province  of  a 
woman,  as  Madame  de  Maintenon’s  own  letters  abundantly 
testify.  “I  did  not  please  in  a conversation  about  the 
works  now  going  on,”  she  writes  to  Cardinal  de  Noailles, 
“ and  my  regret  is  to  have  given  offence  without  profit. 
Another  building  here  will  cost  a hundred  thousand 
livres.  Marly  will  soon  be  a second  Versailles.  There 
is  no  help  for  it  but  prayer  and  patience.”  And  again  : 
“The  King  will  allow  only  his  Ministers  to  talk  to  him 
about  business.  He  was  displeased  because  the  Nuncio 
addressed  himself  to  me.  I should  be  well  content  with 
the  life  of  slavery  I lead  if  I could  do  some  good.  I can 
only  groan  over  the  turn  that  matters  have  taken.”  And 
here  let  us  again  remark  that  the  charge  so  often  brought 
against  Madame  de  Maintenon  of  having  urged  upon 
Louis  XIV.  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  and 
the  persecution  which  accompanied  that  shameful  and 
disastrous  measure  is  quite  unfounded.  Madame  de 
Maintenon  approved  of  the  Revocation  itself,  but  so  did 
practically  all  her  most  famous  contemporaries,  Colbert 
and  Vauban  excepted;  while  it  was  equally  popular  with 
the  bourgeoisie  and  the  rabble  of  Paris,  among  whom  the 

310 


FRANC OISE  D’AUBIGNE 

(Marquise  de  Maintenon) 

From  an  Engraving  after  the  Painting  by  Mignard 


' 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

passions  of  St.  Bartholomew  still  smouldered.  But  if 
she  approved  of  the  Revocation  she  certainly  did  not 
approve  of  the  steps  taken  to  give  effect  to  it,  and,  as  far 
as  she  dared,  strove  to  obtain  some  mitigation  of  the 
severities  practised  against  the  unfortunate  Huguenots  ; 
so  much  so  that  the  King  said  to  her  on  one  occasion, 
“ I fear,  Madame,  that  the  mildness  with  which  you 
would  wish  the  Calvinists  to  be  treated  proceeds  from 
some  remaining  sympathy  with  your  former  religion.” 
The  Revocation  was  the  work,  not  of  Madame  de 
Maintenon,  but  of  Louvois  and  his  father,  Michel  Le 
Tellier,  the  latter  of  whom  declared  on  the  day  on  which 
it  was  signed  that  he  could  now  sing  his  Nunc  dimitlis , 
and  had  been  resolved  upon  long  before  the  lady  reached 
the  “pinnacle  of  favour.” 

On  the  other  hand,  if  Madame  de  Maintenon  possessed 
little  or  no  political  power,  it  is  beyond  question  that  her 
influence  in  such  matters  as  the  distribution  of  honours 
and  pensions  and  places  was  very  great  indeed,  and  that  a 
word  from  her  was  sufficient  to  make  or  mar  the  fortune 
of  any  courtier.  How  else  are  we  to  account  for  the 
fact  that,  as  she  herself  tells  us,  her  apartment  was  like 
a crowded  church,  and  that  Ministers,  and  generals,  and 
even  members  of  the  Royal  Family  were  content  to  cool 
their  heels  in  her  ante-chamber  until  it  was  her  good 
pleasure  to  receive  them  ? How  else  for  the  virulence 
with  which  chroniclers  like  Saint-Simon  and  the  Princess 
Palatine  have  assailed  her  P 

Such  being  the  case,  it  is  not  a little  surprising  that  for 
nearly  two  years  after  her  marriage  Madame  de  Maintenon 
should  have  taken  no  steps  to  hasten  the  retirement  from 
Court  of  the  woman  whose  presence  must  have  served 
as  a continual  reminder  of  the  humble  and  decidedly 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


equivocal  position  she  had  once  occupied,  and  of  conduct 
which  those  who  were  not  of  the  elect  and  consequently 
did  not  regard  the  zx-gouvernante  as  the  chosen  instrument 
of  the  Almighty  might  conceivably  be  inclined  to  call  by 
an  unpleasant  name.  But  Madame  de  Maintenon,  among 
other  admirable  qualities,  possessed  that  of  patience  in  a 
quite  unusual  degree,  and,  confident  that  she  had  little 
to  fear  from  the  discarded  mistress  and  anxious  above  all 
things  to  avoid  recriminations  and  give  no  occasion  for 
scandal  until  she  had  consolidated  her  power,  she  decided 
to  postpone  the  satisfaction  of  witnessing  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  exit  from  the  scene  of  her  former  triumphs 
until  a more  convenient  season.  As  for  the  lady  in 
question,  we  may  be  quite  sure  that  she  had  not  the  least 
intention  of  gratifying  Madame  de  Maintenon  and  the 
devout  party  by  a premature  retirement.  “ She  was  much 
attached  to  the  Court,  not  only  on  account  of  the  ties 
which  bound  her  to  it,  but  because  she  enjoyed  Court 
life.”  1 Secure  in  the  knowledge  that  her  dealings  with 
La  Voisin  and  her  confederates  were  safe  in  the  keeping 
of  the  King,  she  had  long  since  reconciled  herself,  in 
appearance  at  least,  to  her  position  ; was  still  the  life  and 
soul  of  the  Court,  still  the  centre  of  gaiety  and  wit, 
organising  boisterously,  as  was  her  wont,  balls,  lotteries, 
masquerades,  and  the  most  sumptuous  entertainments. 

Nor  for  the  first  two  years  after  the  King’s  marriage 
was  there  any  ostensible  reason  for  her  quitting  the 
Court.  As  Dangeau  tells  us,  Louis’s  union  with  Madame 
de  Maintenon  had  modified  only  insensibly  his  outward 
habits.  The  following  account  which  the  chronicler 
gives  of  the  monarch’s  daily  life  at  this  time  shows  that 
the  untoward  symptoms  observed  in  the  autumn  of  1680, 

1 Lcttres  historiques  et  edifiantes  de  Madame  de  Maintenon,  ii.  162. 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


when  Louis  was  suffering  from  the  first  shock  of  the 
revelations  of  the  Chambre  Ardente  and  could  with 
difficulty  bring  himself  to  pay  Madame  de  Montespan 
visits  of  a few  minutes’  duration,  had  entirely  disappeared, 
doubtless  under  the  influence  of  that  delightful  conversa- 
tion which  caused  even  her  enemy,  the  Princess  Palatine, 
to  declare  that  “ it  was  impossible  to  feel  ennuye  in  her 
society  ” 1 : — 

“ He  rises  as  a rule  between  eight  and  nine  o’clock. 
As  soon  as  he  is  dressed  he  shuts  himself  up  with  his 
Ministers  until  half-past  twelve,2  at  which  hour  he  leaves 
his  cabinet,  goes  to  inform  Madame  la  Dauphine  that  he 
is  ready  to  hear  mass,  and  all  the  Royal  Household 
proceed  to  mass,  where  the  music  is  very  fine.3  Mass  is 
generally  over  between  one  and  two  o’clock,  after  which 
the  King  goes  to  Madame  de  Montespan’s  apartments 
and  remains  there  until  dinner  is  announced.  His 

Majesty  then  goes  to  Madame  la  Dauphine’s  ante- 
chamber to  dine.4  The  gentlemen-in-waiting  serve  him. 
Monseigneur , Madame  la  Dauphine,  Monsieur,  Madame , 

1 Correspondance  complete  de  Madame,  Duchesse  d' Orleans,  ii.  127. 

2 Councils  of  State  were  held  on  Sundays,  Mondays,  Wednesdays,  and 
Thursdays  ; Councils  ot  Finance  on  Tuesdays  and  Saturdays  ; and  on 
Fridays  the  King  held  a “Council  of  Conscience  ” with  the  Archbishop 
of  Paris  or  Pdire  de  La  Chaise. 

3 So  fine  that  Madame  de  Caylus  (then  Mademoiselle  de  Villette) 
declared,  after  hearing  it  for  the  first  time,  that  she  was  prepared  “ to 
become  reconciled  to  the  Church,”  provided  she  might  be  allowed  to 
attend  the  King’s  Mass  every  day. 

4 To  watch  Louis  XIV.  dine  must  have  been  a truly  awe-inspiring 
sight.  Although  he  drank  but  sparingly,  he  was  a most  enormous  eater. 
Here,  according  to  the  Princess  Palatine,  is  one  of  his  gastronomical 
feats  : “ Four  platefuls  of  different  soups,  a whole  pheasant,  a partridge, 
a plateful  of  salad,  mutton  hashed  with  garlic,  two  good-sized  slices  of 
ham,  a dish  of  pastry,  and  afterwards  fruit  and  sweetmeats.” 

3 1 3 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Mademoiselle , and  Mademoiselle  de  Guise,1  sit  down  to 
table  with  the  King,  and  occasionally  the  princesses  of 
the  blood.2  Dinner  over,  the  King  returns  to  Madame 
la  Dauphine’s  apartments  for  a moment,  and  then  again 
shuts  himself  up  to  work  or  goes  out.  At  seven  or  eight 
o’clock  in  the  evening  he  goes  to  visit  Madame  de 
Maintenon,  with  whom  he  stays  till  ten  o’clock,  which  is 
his  supper-hour,  and  then  returns  to  sup  with  Madame  la 
Dauphine.  On  rising  from  the  table  he  goes  for  a 
moment  into  her  apartments,  bids  her  good-night,  and 
then  proceeds  to  Madame  de  Montespan’s,  where  he 
remains  until  midnight ; and  the  petit  coucher  is  generally 
over  by  half-past  twelve,  or  one  o’clock  at  the  latest.3 

At  the  beginning  of  December  1684,  Madame  de 
Montespan  quitted  her  magnificent  apartments  on  the 
first  floor  of  the  chateau  for  a suite  more  remote  from 
the  King’s  life,4  as  Louis  desired  to  join  them  to  his 
own.  This  incident  is  regarded  by  some  writers  as  the 
first  sign  of  disgrace  ; but  this  is  doubtful,  and  even  if 
such  were  the  case,  the  lady  would  not  appear  to  have 
resented  it,  for  on  the  following  New  Year’s  Eve  we 
hear  of  her  making  a present  to  his  Majesty  of  a book 
“ bound  in  gold,”  containing  miniature  views  of  all  the 

1 Marie  de  Lorraine,  Duchesse  de  Guise,  Princesse  de  Joinville,  and 
Duchesse  de  Joyeuse,  daughter  of  Charles  de  Lorraine,  fourth  Due  de 
Guise  and  Henriette  de  Joyeuse.  In  1675,  by  tbe  deatb  ber  great- 
nephew  Francis  Joseph,  the  seventh  Duke,  she  inherited  all  the  titles 
and  fortune  of  her  house,  and  when  she  herself  died,  thirteen  years 
later,  “ the  brood  of  false  Lorraine”  became  extinct. 

2 The  princesses  of  the  blood  never  sat  down  to  dinner  with  the 
King  when  the  Dauphiness  and  Madame  were  present. 

3 'Journal  du  Marquis  de  Dangeau,  i.  87. 

4 The  Appartement  des  Bains,  on  the  r ez-de-chaus see,  underneath  the 
King’s  State  apartments. 

3H 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


towns  of  Holland  taken  by  him  in  the  campaign  of 
1672,  with  a description  of  the  sieges  and  an  eloge  by 
those  two  most  consummate  flatterers  of  royalty,  Racine 
and  Boileau.  This  book  was  believed  to  have  cost  4000 
pistoles.1 

The  months  went  by  and  Madame  de  Montespan  con- 
tinued to  all  appearance  high  in  favour.  On  February  1 5 
she  gave  a grand  masquerade  in  her  new  quarters,  on 
which  occasion  the  King  graciously  placed  at  her  disposal 
the  royal  musicians.  A few  days  later  the  lady  prepared 
a surprise  for  his  Majesty,  who,  when  he  came  to  pay  her 
his  usual  evening  visit,  found  that  her  apartments  had 
been  transformed  so  as  to  represent  the  Fair  of  Saint- 
Germain,  with  the  booths  in  charge  of  the  most  beautiful 
ladies  of  the  Court.  This  entertainment  seems  to  have 
afforded  the  monarch  much  pleasure.  Then  we  read  of 
her  being  consulted  by  Louis  on  the  choice  of  an  opera 
for  the  ensuing  winter ; of  her  accompanying  him  on 
several  excursions  to  dine  or  sup  at  Marly ; of  her  riding 
with  him  in  the  same  caleche  at  hunting-parties,  and  so 
forth.2  But  appearances,  so  often  deceptive,  were  never 
more  so  than  in  that  place  of  which  La  Bruyere  wrote, 
“ There  is  a region  in  which  joys  are  visible,  but  they  are 
false,  and  sorrows  hidden,  but  they  are  known”3 — the 
Court  of  le  Grand  Monarque. 

Even  while  these  marks  of  the  royal  esteem  were  being 
bestowed  on  Madame  de  Montespan,  the  antagonism 
between  her  and  Madame  de  Maintenon,  for  a moment 
quenched,  had  gradually  revived,  and  soon  it  became 
apparent  to  the  ex-favourite  that  her  rival,  so  far  from 

1 'Journal  du  Marquis  de  Dangeau , i.  87. 

2 Ibid.,  i.  passim. 

5 Caractlres  et  moeurs  ; chap.,  La  Cour. 

315 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


being  satisfied  with  having  supplanted  her  in  the  King’s 
affections,  was  bent  on  driving  her  from  Court,  not  by 
any  overt  acts  of  hostility — such  would  have  been  entirely 
foreign  to  the  character  of  the  discreet  lady  who  liked 
not  to  let  her  left  hand  know  what  her  right  did,  save  in 
matters  of  religion  and  charity — but  by  subjecting  her, 
or  rather  inducing  Louis  to  subject  her,  to  slights  and 
mortifications,  galling  for  any  woman  to  bear,  but  doubly 
so  for  one  as  haughty  as  herself. 

Powerless  to  counteract  the  sinister  influence  of  her 
enemy,  Madame  de  Montespan  took  refuge  in  biting 
bon-mots , which  naturally  only  served  to  strengthen 
Madame  de  Maintenon’s  determination.  “ I recollect  her 
coming  one  day,”  says  Madame  de  Caylus,  “ to  Madame 
de  Maintenon’s  apartments,  to  a meeting  on  behalf  of 
the  poor  which  Madame  de  Maintenon  used  to  hold  at 
the  beginning  of  every  month,  and  at  which  the  ladies 
used  to  present  their  alms,  Madame  de  Montespan  among 
the  rest.  On  this  occasion,  she  arrived  before  the  meeting 
had  begun,  and  observing,  as  she  passed  through  the 
ante-chamber,  the  cure  and  the  Grey  Sisters  of  Versailles, 
and  all  the  tokens  of  the  devotion  which  Madame  de 
Maintenon  professed,  she  exclaimed  on  entering  the 
room,  “ Do  you  know,  Madame,  that  your  ante-chamber 
is  admirably  prepared  for  your  funeral  oration  ? ”1 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1686  that  the  first  blow  fell — 
the  first  of  those  cruel  humiliations  to  her  pride  which 
were  to  end  in  driving  the  ex-favourite  from  Court.  In 
May,  the  King,  who  had  been  for  some  little  time  under 
medical  treatment  for  the  malady  which  necessitated 
in  the  following  autumn  what  is  known  as  “ la  grande 
operation ,”  was  ordered  a course  of  the  waters  at  Bareges, 

1 Souvenirs  et  Correspondence  de  Madame  de  Caylus  (edit.  1889),  p.  152. 

316 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


and  “commands”  were  accordingly  sent  out  to  the 
favoured  courtiers  whom  his  Majesty  desired  to  accom- 
pany him  on  his  journey.  Now,  for  a courtier  who  had 
hitherto  occupied  a high  place  in  the  good  graces  of 
the  sovereign  not  to  receive  a “ command  ” on  these 
occasions  was  regarded  as  an  infallible  sign  that  the  sun 
of  the  royal  favour  had  ceased  to  shine ; and  Madame 
de  Montespan’s  rage  and  mortification  may  be  imagined 
when  she  learned  that  she  was  not  to  be  of  the  party. 
“ Madame  de  Montespan,”  writes  the  discreet  Dangeau 
in  his  Journal,  “ was  attacked  with  the  most  violent 
vapeurs  on  learning  that  the  King's  health  was  not  yet  com- 
pletely re-established."  1 

Furious  with  mortification,  the  marchioness  rushed  off 
to  Paris  and  remained  there  some  days.  But  the  time 
for  her  final  retreat  had  not  arrived  ; she  could  not  yet 
make  up  her  mind  to  quit  the  Court  she  had  loved 
so  well,  and  where  she  had  so  long  reigned  supreme  ; 
and  returned.  The  morning  after  her  arrival,  however, 
she  again  departed,  Rambouillet  being  her  destination  ; 
“ wishing  to  avoid  taking  leave  of  the  King  or  any  one,” 
says  Dangeau,  not  so  discreet  this  time.2  The  little 
Comte  de  Toulouse  was  preparing  to  follow  his  mother, 
to  whom  he  was  much  attached,  and  was  actually  step- 
ping into  the  coach  which  was  to  take  him  to  Ram- 
bouillet, when  he  received  a message  from  the  King 
desiring  him  to  remain  and  accompany  him  to  Bareges. 
However,  a day  or  two  later,  we  learn  that  the  King  was 
feeling  so  much  better  that  the  journey  to  Bareges  had 
been  abandoned  ; that  Madame  de  Montespan  had  re- 
turned from  Rambouillet  ; and  that  his  Majesty  was 

1 ‘Journal  du  Marquis  de  Dangeau,  i.  337. 

2 Ibid.,  i.  339. 


317 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


visiting  her  as  usual.  But  soon  these  visits,  hitherto  so 
regular,  became  less  frequent ; instead  of  going  to  the 
ex-favourite’s  apartments  after  mass  and  after  supper, 
Louis  turned  his  steps  towards  those  of  his  unrecognised 
consort,  and  “ Madame  de  Montespan  gnawed  her  fingers 
with  vexation.”  1 

In  her  rage,  she  broke  forth  into  bitter  jests,  not  sparing 
even  the  King  ; but  still  she  remained  at  Court.  “ Her 
hour  was  not  yet  come,”  says  the  Abbe  de  Choisy,  “ and 
Providence,  to  punish  her  for  the  past,  intended  her  to 
endure  many  further  mortifications.”  2 

In  October  the  Court  removed  to  Fontainebleau. 
Madame  de  Montespan,  on  some  plea  or  other,  remained 
behind  at  Versailles  ; but  a few  days  later  followed,  to 
find  Madame  de  Maintenon  installed  in  a magnificent 
suite  of  apartments  on  the  same  floor  as  those  of  the 
King,  and  his  Majesty  spending  the  whole  of  his  evenings 
with  her.  On  the  arrival  of  the  marchioness,  however, 
Louis,  perhaps  considering  that  he  had  humiliated  her 
sufficiently  for  the  present,  resumed  his  visits  to  her,  and 
“ gave  her  marks  of  his  esteem.”  3 

In  the  summer  of  the  preceding  year  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  elder  daughter,  Mademoiselle  de  Nantes, 
for  whom,  it  will  be  remembered,  poor  Louise  de  La 
Valliere  had  stood  sponsor,  had  married  the  Due  de 
Bourbon  (M.  le  Due),  grandson  of  the  Great  Conde. 
The  young  duke  was  only  seventeen,  while  his  bride 
had  recently  celebrated  her  twelfth  birthday.  “ It  was 
ridiculous,”  says  the  Marquis  de  Sourches,  “ to  witness 
the  marriage  of  these  two  marionettes,  for  the  Due  de 

1 MImoires  de  V Abbe  de  Choisy  (edit.  1 888),  ii.  iz. 

2 Ibid.,  ii.  13.  3 Ibid.,  ii.  14. 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Bourbon  was  absurdly  short,  and  it  was  feared  that  he 
would  remain  a dwarf.”  The  ceremony  took  place 
with  great  magnificence  in  the  King’s  State  apartments 
at  Versailles,  and  “ the  Great  Cond6  and  his  son 1 left 
nothing  undone  to  testify  their  joy,  just  as  they  had  left 
nothing  undone  to  bring  about  the  marriage.”  2 The 
King  secured  to  the  duke  the  survivorship  of  all  the 
offices  held  by  his  father,  and  gave  him  a pension  of 
90,000  livres,  and  to  his  daughter  one  of  100,000  livres. 

Twelve  months  later,  the  Due  d’Antin,  the  son  with 
whom  Madame  de  Montespan  had  presented  her  husband 
“ before  she  was  translated  to  the  arms  of  Jupiter  to  give 
birth  to  demigods,”  was  married  to  Mademoiselle  d’Uzes.3 
After  his  wife  became  the  King’s  mistress,  Montespan 
had  taken  his  little  boy  away  to  Guienne,  where  he  was 
educated  by  the  Abbe  Anselme,  of  whose  eloquence  as  a 
preacher  Madame  de  Sevigne  speaks  highly  in  her  letters. 
In  spite  of  the  marquis’s  precautions,  the  child  very  early 
learned  from  the  gossip  of  his  nurses,  to  whom,  such  was 
the  singular  morality  of  the  time,  Madame  de  Monte- 
span’s  position  appeared  wholly  enviable,  of  his  mother’s 
adventures.  “They  were  continually  talking  to  me,”  he 
tells  us  in  his  Memoires , “ of  the  Court,  the  King,  and  of 
the  great  favours  and  fortune  which  awaited  me,”  and  to 
this  he  attributes  the  fact  that  he  grew  up  with  no  other 
desire  than  that  of  making  his  way  as  a courtier.  Mon- 
tespan wished  to  send  his  son  to  continue  his  education  in 

1 Henri  Jules  de  Bourbon,  Prince  de  Conde. 

2 Souvenirs  et  Correspondance  de  Madame  de  Callus  (edit.  1889),  p,  157. 

3 Julie  Framboise  de  Crussol,  daughter  of  the  Due  d’Uzes,  and  grand- 
daughter of  the  Due  de  Montausier.  Her  father  was  strongly  opposed 
to  the  marriage,  and  only  gave  his  consent  when  the  Due  de  Montausier 
offered  to  provide  the  dot. 


3 1 9 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Paris  ; but  it  was  not  until  the  boy  was  fourteen  that  per- 
mission to  do  so  was  accorded  him.  D’Antin  and  the 
marquis  then  came  to  Paris,  where  poor  Montespan  had 
to  go  about  escorted  by  a certain  M.  de  Fieubet,  a Coun- 
cillor of  State,  who  had  orders  not  to  let  him  out  of  his 
sight,  and  Madame  de  Montespan  paid  a surreptitious 
visit  to  her  son  ; “ but,  for  reasons  connected  with  the 
Court,  she  was  unable  to  see  any  more  of  him,  which 
caused  him  extreme  mortification.”  After  completing 
his  education  at  the  College  of  Louis  le  Grand,  d’Antin 
received  a sub-lieutenant’s  commission  in  the  Regiment 
du  Roi,  and  was  presented  to  the  King,  who,  much  to 
his  chagrin,  did  not  evince  the  slightest  desire  to  cultivate 
his  acquaintance.  However,  when  he  was  twenty,  he 
received  the  command  of  a regiment,  and,  shortly  after- 
wards, Madame  de  Montespan  obtained  for  him  the  post 
of  menin  (gentleman-in-waiting)  to  the  Dauphin,  an  office 
which  carried  with  it  a salary  of  2000  ecus.  This, 
according  to  the  ungrateful  d’Antin,  was  the  only  service 
his  mother  ever  rendered  him,  although  he  admits  that 
she  was  attached  to  him  “in  her  way.”  On  his  marriage 
with  Mademoiselle  d’Uzes,  the  marchioness  gave  him  a 
pension  of  2000  ecus  and  furnished  a suite  of  apartments 
for  the  young  couple  at  Versailles.  She  also  prepared  a 
charming  surprise  for  the  bride,  who,  on  arriving  from 
Paris,  where  the  marriage  had  been  celebrated,  found  in 
her  boudoir  “ a great  bowl,  full  of  everything  that  a lady 
could  require — ribbons,  fans,  essences,  gloves,  and  a very 
beautiful  set  of  emeralds  and  diamonds.”  1 

These  marriages,  occasional  visits  to  her  sister  at 
Fontevrault,  the  nursing  of  the  little  Duchesse  de 
Bourbon  and  Mademoiselle  de  Blois,  the  future  wife  of 

1 Journal  du  Marquis  de  Dangeau,  i.  374. 

320 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

the  Regent  Orleans,  through  attacks  of  small-pox,  both  of 
which  nearly  proved  fatal,1  and  the  education  of  the  latter 
were  the  chief  incidents  and  occupations  of  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  life  during  several  years.  The  King  con- 
tinued to  visit  her  in  the  interval  between  mass  and 
dinner,  and  in  the  evenings,  after  supper,  she  generally 
went  with  the  Duchesse  de  Bourbon  to  his  apartments. 
But  the  time  was  now  approaching  when  the  Abbe  Dorat 
was  to  write  : “ The  King  has  become  a saint.  . . . All 
the  ladies  of  the  Court  are  compelled  to  cover  their  necks 
and  arms,  so  that  nothing  but  modesty  is  seen  where 
they  appear  ” ; and  as  Louis’s  bigotry  and  Madame  de 
Maintenon’s  influence  increased,  his  manner  towards  his 
former  mistress  became  more  and  more  cold  and  distant, 
while  we  have  only  to  glance  at  Dangeau’s  Journal  and 
contrast  his  references  to  Madame  de  Montespan  with 
those  during  the  years  1684  and  1685  to  see  how  com- 
paratively unimportant  a person  she  now  was.2 

1 “ Madame  la  Duchesse  was  seized  with  the  small-pox  at  Fontaine- 
bleau, and  her  life  was  in  great  danger.  The  Great  Cond6,  much 
alarmed,  left  Chantilly,  notwithstanding  his  gout,  to  go  and  shut  himself 
up  with  her  and  render  her  all  the  cares  not  only  of  a tender  father  but 
of  a zealous  guardian.  The  King,  on  learning  of  the  extremity  of 
Madame  la  Duchesse,  wished  to  go  and  see  her  ; but  M.  le  Prince 
(Conde)  placed  himself  at  the  door  to  prevent  him  entering,  and  there 
a great  struggle  ensued  between  parental  love  and  the  zeal  of  a courtier, 
very  glorious  for  Madame  la  Duchesse.  The  King  was  the  stronger 
and  went  in  in  spite  of  M.  le  Prince' s resistance.  Madame  la  Duchesse 
recovered  ; the  King  returned  to  Versailles  ; and  M.  le  Prince  remained 
with  his  grand-daughter.  The  change  in  his  manner  of  life,  the 
sleepless  nights  and  the  fatigue  acting  on  a frame  already  so  weakened 
as  was  his,  brought  about  his  death  shortly  afterwards.” — Souvenirs  et 
Correspondance  de  Madame  de  Caylus  (edit.  1889),  p.  158. 

2 Madame  de  Caylus  says  that  during  her  last  years  at  Court 
Madame  de  Montespan  was  “ merely  regarded  as  the  gouvernante  of 
Mademoiselle  de  Blois.” 


321 


x 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Another  fruitful  source  of  annoyance  to  the  ex- 
favourite was  the  conduct  of  her  son,  the  Due  du  Maine. 
The  Comte  de  Toulouse,  as  we  have  mentioned,  was 
much  attached  to  his  mother,  as  were  the  Duchesse  de 
Bourbon  and  Mademoiselle  de  Blois,  but  it  was  far 
otherwise  with  Madame  de  Montespan’s  eldest  child. 
This  boy  had  been  Madame  de  Maintenon’s  especial 
care,  and  there  can  be  no  question  that  she  now  used  the 
influence  which  she  had  acquired  over  him  to  gradually 
alienate  the  affection  which  he  had  once  felt,  or  at  least 
professed,  for  his  mother.  The  task  was  not  a difficult 
one.  The  young  duke  was,  in  his  way,  as  consummate 
an  egotist  as  his  royal  father,  and,  according  to  Saint- 
Simon,  “ an  accomplished  poltroon  both  in  heart  and 
mind.”  Mere  boy  as  he  was,  he  felt  with  the  instincts 
of  a born  courtier  that  Madame  de  Montespan  had 
become  an  embarrassing  weight  on  his  fortunes,  while 
from  his  former  gouvernante  he  could  hope  and  expect  all 
things ; and  it  needed  but  a few  disparaging  smiles  when 
the  ex-favourite’s  name  was  mentioned,  a few  gentle  hints 
that  perchance  the  surest  way  to  high  favour  might  lie 
along  a different  road  from  that  by  which  she  was  travel- 
ling, to  establish  a gulf  between  mother  and  son  which 
was  never  to  be  bridged  over.  “ I do  not  know,”  he 
writes  on  October  25,  1688  (he  was  then  eighteen),  to 
Madame  de  Maintenon,  “ if  I ought  to  take  this  oppor- 
tunity of  asking  you  to  tell  Madame  de  Montespan  that 
we  shall  soon  require  money.  I have  heard  it  said  that 
she  is  sending  us  back  M.  de  Malezieux,1  a fact  which 
does  not  surprise  me,  for  1 know  that  she  is  always  afraid 
that  she  will  he  robbed,  although  M.  de  Montchevreuil 

1 Nicolas  de  Malezieux,  tutor  to  the  Due  du  Maine.  He  afterwards 
became  a member  of  the  Academy. 

322 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


has  no  inclination  to  do  that.”1  And,  on  another  occa- 
sion, after  losing  money  at  cards  at  Marly,  “where  it  is 
impossible  to  remain  without  playing,  and  where  no  one 
cares  to  play  for  small  sums,”  he  avows  to  “ his  confessor” 
that  he  fears  her  reprimands  far  more  than  those  of 
Madame  de  Montespan,  “ because  they  are  always  guided 
by  reason.”2 

For  this  unfortunate  estrangement  it  is  probable  that 
Madame  de  Montespan  was  herself  partly  responsible. 
Her  hatred  of  Madame  de  Maintenon  was  so  intense  that 
it  extended  to  that  lady’s  friends,  and  when  she  found 
that  as  the  boy  grew  up,  his  regard  for  his  former 
gouvernante  increased  rather  than  diminished,  instead  of 
endeavouring  to  gain  his  confidence  and  affection,  she 
washed  her  hands  of  him,  and  declined  even  to  undertake 
the  management  of  his  property,  which  the  King  wished 
to  entrust  to  her. 

In  the  spring  of  1 6 8 1 , Madame  de  Montespan  had 
enlarged  the  Couvent  des  Filles  de  Saint-Joseph,3  a home 
for  orphan  girls  in  the  Rue  Saint-Dominique,  parish  of 
Saint-Sulpice,  not  far  from  the  Hotel  de  Conti,  and 
liberally  endowed  it.  The  community,  out  of  gratitude 
for  her  benevolence,  had  elected  her  their  superieure  and 
granted  her  “ all  the  rights  and  privileges  generally 
accorded  to  the  founders  of  these  kinds  of  establish- 
ments,” among  them  that  of  residing  there  whenever  she 

1 Correspondance  generate  de  Madame  de  Maintenon , iii.  130. 

2 Ibid.,  iii.  59. 

3 More  than  one  writer  speaks  of  Madame  de  Montespan  having 
built  this  convent,  but  this  was  not  the  case.  The  Congregation  des 
Filles  de  Saint-Joseph  had  been  established  in  the  Rue  Saint-Dominique 
for  more  than  forty  years.  The  society  had  been  founded  at  Bordeaux 
in  May  1638  by  a nun  called  Marie  Delpech  de  l’Estang,  and  removed 
to  Paris  the  following  year. 


323 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


felt  disposed.  Towards  the  year  1690  the  ex-favourite 
gradually  acquired  the  habit  of  spending  at  first  a few 
weeks,  then  entire  months,  at  Saint-Joseph,  and,  finally, 
on  March  15,  1691,  she  sent  for  Bossuet  and  begged  him 
to  inform  the  King  that  she  had  decided,  with  his  per- 
mission, to  retire  from  Court  and  make  the  convent  her 
headquarters  for  the  future.  Thus  the  illustrious  prelate 
who  sixteen  years  before  had  endeavoured  to  break  the 
guilty  chain  which  bound  her  to  the  King,  was  the  one  to 
whom  she  now  had  recourse  to  sever  its  last  frail  link. 

The  Marquis  de  Sourches  ascribes  the  lady’s  decision 
to  her  anger  and  mortification  on  learning  that  Louis 
intended  to  remove  the  Comte  de  Toulouse  and  Made- 
moiselle de  Blois  from  her  care.  He  says : — 

“ The  Marquise  de  Montespan,  learning  that  the  King 
was  taking  the  Comte  de  Toulouse  with  him  to  the  army 
and  that  he  was  removing  from  her  control  her  daughter, 
Mademoiselle  de  Blois,  in  order  to  place  her  under  the 
charge  of  the  Marquise  de  Montchevreuil,1  conceived  so 
terrible  a chagrin  that  she  forgot  all  the  wise  resolutions 
that  she  had  made  to  give  the  King  no  pretext  for  dis- 
missing her,  and,  in  her  first  burst  of  anger,  sent  for  the 
Bishop  of  Meaux  (Bossuet)  and  begged  him  to  go  and 
inform  the  King  that,  since  he  was  taking  her  children 
from  her,  she  saw  clearly  that  he  had  no  longer  any  con- 
sideration for  her,  and  that  she  entreated  him  to  permit 
her  to  retire  to  her  establishment  of  Saint-Joseph  at 
Paris.  The  prelate  would,  perhaps,  have  been  very  glad 
to  have  escaped  such  a commission,  but  he  could  not 
refuse,  and,  as  soon  as  he  had  discharged  it,  the  King 
joyfully  replied  that  he  accorded  Madame  de  Montespan 
the  permission  she  demanded,  and  immediately  gave  her 

1 Madame  de  Maintenon’s  henchwoman. 

324 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


apartments  in  the  Chateau  of  Versailles  to  the  Due  du 
Maine,  who  surrendered  his  to  Mademoiselle  de 
Blois.”  1 

Dangeau  confirms  these  details  : — 

“ March  15,  1691. — Madame  de  Montespan,  who  has 
been  for  some  days  at  Saint-Joseph,  has  sent  to  inform 
the  King,  through  M.  de  Meaux  (Bossuet),  that  the 
decision  which  she  has  arrived  at  is  to  retire  definitely, 
and  that  she  intends  to  divide  her  time  between  Fonte- 
vrault  and  Saint-Joseph.  The  King  has  given  the  Apparte- 
ment  des  Bains  to  the  Due  du  Maine,  and  the  Due  du 
Maine’s  apartments  to  Mademoiselle  de  Blois,  who  will 
not  accompany  Madame  de  Montespan.  She  will  remain 
at  Court,  and  Madame  de  Montchevreuil  has  been  placed 
in  charge  of  her.”  2 

The  resolution  hastily  formed  was  almost  as  hastily 
repented  of.  Exactly  a month  later  Dangeau  writes 
again : — 

“ April  15. — Madame  de  Montespan,  who  has  been  at 
Clagny  for  several  days,  has  gone  back  to  Paris.  She 
says  that  she  has  not  absolutely  renounced  the  Court, 
that  she  will  still  see  the  King  sometimes,  and  that,  in 


1 Mlmoires  du  Marquis  de  Sourches,  iii.  365. 

2 Journal  du  Marquis  de  Dangeau , iii.  300.  Saint-Simon  asserts  that 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  retirement  was  not  a voluntary  one.  It  was, 
according  to  him,  the  result  of  an  intrigue  between  Bossuet,  Madame 
de  Maintenon,  and  the  Due  du  Maine,  who  so  worked  upon  the  mind 
of  the  King  that  he  sent  the  Duke  to  his  mother  with  positive  orders  for 
her  to  leave  the  Court,  a commission  which  the  young  gentleman  dis- 
charged u sans  management ” — Memoires  (edit.  1881),  xii.  114.  Saint- 
Simon’s  hatred  of  Madame  de  Maintenon  and  the  Due  du  Maine  is 
too  well  known,  however,  for  much  importance  to  be  attached  to  such  a 
statement,  particularly  when  it  is  at  variance  with  the  account  of  the 
matter  given  by  such  impartial  chroniclers  as  Sourches  and  Dangeau. 

325 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


point  of  fact,  they  have  been  a little  hasty  in  removing  the 
furniture  from  her  apartments' ’ 1 

But  it  was  now  too  late ; the  Marchioness  had  been 
taken  at  her  word.  On  the  very  day  on  which  he  was 
informed  of  her  wish  to  retire  from  Court,  the  King,  as 
we  have  seen,  had  given  her  apartments  to  the  Due  du 
Maine,  and  that  youthful  egotist,  having  once  got  his 
embarrassing  mother  out  of  the  way,  was  in  no  mind  to 
allow  her  a chance  of  returning. 

1 'Journal  du  Marquis  de  Dangeau,  iii.  325. 


326 


CHAPTER  XXI 

Madame  de  Montespan  in  retirement — She  pays  occasional 
visits  to  the  Court,  but  after  a time  these  cease — And  she  is 
almost  completely  forgotten — Madame  de  Maintenon’s  pro- 
testations of  friendship— Nevertheless,  she  informs  Madame 
de  Montespan  that  “correspondence  with  her  will  not  be 
agreeable” — Madame  de  Montespan’s  chief  consolation  in 
her  exile  the  society  of  her  youngest  sister,  the  Abbess  of 
Fontevrault — Amiable  character  and  accomplishments  of  this 
lady — Saint-Simon’s  appreciation  of  her — Her  singular  com- 
plaisance in  regard  to  Madame  de  Montespan’s  connection 
with  Louis  XIV. — -Madame  de  Montespan’s  eldest  sister, 
Madame  de  Thianges — Her  eccentricities — Her  daughters, 
the  Duchesse  de  Nevers  and  the  Duchess  Sforza — Madame  de 
Montespan’s  brother,  the  Due  de  Vivonne — His  wit  and 
imperturbable  good  humour — His  children — Madame  de 
Montespan’s  relations  with  her  children  by  Louis  XIV. — 

Her  generosity  to  the  Due  d’Antin  and  his  family — His 
inestimable  character — Madame  de  Montespan  persuades  him 
to  give  up  play — Rebuff  administered  to  him  by  the  King — 

His  servility  to  Louis  XIV.  and  Madame  de  Maintenon — He 
is  not  received  into  favour  until  after  his  mother’s  death — 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  correspondence  with  the  Duchesse  de 
Noailles — And  with  Daniel  Huet,  Bishop  of  Avranches. 

For  some  time  after  her  retirement,  Madame  de  Monte- 
span continued  to  pay  occasional  visits  to  the  Court. 
Thus,  during  the  siege  of  Mons,  when  her  daughters  did 
not  follow  the  King,  she  came  several  times  to  Versailles, 
“ like  one  of  those  unhappy  spirits  who  return  to  their 

327 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


former  haunts  to  expiate  their  sins  ” ; 1 while,  in  Sep- 
tember 1695,  we  hear  of  her  being  present  at  a supper- 
party  given  by  Langlee,  who,  in  the  days  of  her  splendour, 
had  presented  her  with  the  gorgeous  robe  described  by 
Madame  de  Sevign6,  to  the  Due  andDuchesse  de  Chartres,2 

1 Souvenirs  et  Correspondance  de  Madame  de  Caylus  (edit.  1889),  p.  151. 

2 Mademoiselle  de  Blois,  Madame  de  Montespan’s  youngest  daughter, 
who  had  married  the  Due  de  Chartres  (afterwards  the  Regent  Orleans) 
on  February  18,  1692.  This  marriage  was  viewed  with  strong  disfavour 
by  Monsieur  and  Madame,  though  they  did  not  dare  to  oppose  the 
wishes  of  the  King.  The  Princess  Palatine  was  at  no  pains  to  conceal 
her  fury  and  mortification  at  the  mesalliance  which  had  been  thrust 
upon  her  son  and  at  what  she  considered  the  latter’s  pusillanimity  in 
consenting  to  wed  the  young  lady.  “ Madame ,”  says  Saint-Simon, 
“promenaded  the  Gallery  with  her  favourite,  Chateauthiers.  She  strode 
along,  handkerchief  in  hand,  weeping  bitterly,  talking  rather  loud, 
gesticulating,  and  behaving  just  like  Ceres  after  the  abduction  of  his 
daughter,  Proserpine.  At  supper,  the  King  offered  Madame  nearly  all 
the  dishes  which  were  placed  before  him,  but  she  declined  them  in  a 
very  discourteous  manner,  notwithstanding  which  the  King  continued 
his  attentions  and  civilities  to  the  end  of  the  meal.  The  following 
morning,  everybody  presented  themselves  at  the  apartments  of  Monsieur, 
Madame,  and  the  Due  de  Chartres,  but  not  a word  was  spoken  ; people 
contented  themselves  with  bows,  and  everything  passed  off  in  perfect 
silence.  Afterwards  a move  was  made,  as  usual,  to  the  Gallery  ( des 
daces')  to  await  the  breaking-up  of  the  Council  and  the  King’s  Mass. 
Madame  came  there,  and  her  son,  as  was  his  daily  custom,  approached 
to  kiss  her  hand.  Thereupon  Madame  bestowed  upon  him  so  resounding 
a box  on  the  ear  that  it  could  be  heard  some  distance  off,  and  which, 
as  it  was  given  in  the  presence  of  the  whole  Court,  covered  the  poor 
Prince  with  confusion,  and  overwhelmed  the  numerous  spectators,  of 
whom  I was  one,  with  profound  astonishment.” 

Curiously  enough,  Mademoiselle  de  Blois,  aged  fifteen,  naively  fancied 
that  it  was  a great  condescension  on  her  part  to  wed  the  Due  de  Chartres, 
“ as  he  was  only  the  nephew  of  the  King,  while  she  was  his  daughter.” 
Duclos  says  that  people  laughingly  compared  her  to  Minerva,  who, 
recognising  no  mother,  prided  herself  on  being  the  daughter  of 
Jupiter. 


328 


FRANCOISE  MARIE  DE  BOURBON 

(Mademoiselle  de  Blois) 

From  an  Engraving  by  Nicolas  de  L’Armessin  pere 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


the  Duchesse  de  Bourbon,  and  other  members  of  the 
Royal  Family.  But  after  a while  these  visits  grew  fewer 
and  fewer,  and  at  length  ceased  altogether,  and  so 
short  is  the  memory  of  courtiers  that  the  once  all- 
powerful  marchioness  became  to  the  majority  of  the 
denizens  of  Versailles  as  if  she  had  never  existed,  and 
had  it  not  been  for  her  children,  the  cause  of  incessant 
domestic  difficulties,  as  later  they  were  to  become  of 
political  ones,  no  trace  of  her  brilliant  and  dazzling  reign 
would  have  remained  save  a few  ballets  and  dedications 
of  La  Fontaine  and  other  poets. 

Madame  de  Montespan’s  successor  in  the  royal  affec- 
tions continued  to  profess  for  her  discomfited  rival  the 
most  touching  regard.  “ I am  overjoyed,  Madame,”  she 
writes  to  the  marchioness’s  sister,  the  Abbess  of  Fonte- 
vrault  (September  27,  1691),  “to  have  received  some 
tokens  of  remembrance  from  Madame  de  Montespan. 
I feared  that  she  was  annoyed  with  me.  God  knows  if  I 
have  done  anything  to  merit  that  and  how  my  heart  is 
hers  !”  1 And  ten  years  later,  to  the  same  correspondent : 
“You  do  not  mention  Madame  de  Montespan’s  name. 
She  is  too  often  present  in  my  thoughts.  I desire  for 
her  all  that  I desire  for  myself.  Inform  her,  Madame, 
of  the  death  of  Madame  de  Brinon,2  and  believe  both 

1 Correspondance  generate,  iii.  306.  Commenting  on  this  letter,  the 
devoted  M.  Lavallee  remarks  with  charming  ingenuousness  : “ One  sees 
with  what  tranquillity  Madame  de  Maintenon  speaks  of  her  conduct  so 
much  criticised  in  regard  to  Madame  de  Montespan.  She  had  never 
had  the  least  intention  of  injuring  Madame  de  Montespan  in  extricating 
her  from  her  guilty  intrigue.” 

2 Madame  de  Brinon  had  been  the  first  superieure  of  Saint-Cyr. 
Madame  de  Maintenon  caused  her  to  be  removed  from  her  post  because 
she  brought  up  the  young  ladies  in  too  worldly  a manner,  but  she 
remained  on  friendly  terms  with  her. 

329 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


of  you  that  the  sentiments  I entertain  for  you  gives  me 
a claim  to  your  regard.”  1 

In  the  face  of  these  protestations  of  friendship,  it  is 
somewhat  singular  to  find  Madame  de  Montespan  writing 
to  her  friend  and  confidante,  the  Duchesse  de  Noailles,  as 
follows  : — 

Madame  de  Montespan  to  the  Duchesse  de  Noailles. 

“ Fontevrault,  November  19,  1698. 

“ I wrote  to-day  to  extol  your  merits  to  Madame  de 
Maintenon  and  to  felicitate  her  on  the  pleasure  which 
she  must  find  in  your  society,  and  in  the  sincerity  and 
discretion  that  you  possess  in  a supreme  degree,  to 
which,  between  ourselves,  those  who  have  approached 
her  up  to  now,  have  not  accustomed  her.  You  will 
remember  what  I said  to  you  about  it  at  Saint-Joseph, 
and  I repeated  it  to-day  to  Madame  de  Maintenon  in 
the  effusion  of  my  heart  which  her  letter  2 has  provoked ; 
for  she  has  told  me  all  that  I desired  of  her,  which 
consisted  merely  in  showing  me  very  plainly  that  inter- 
course with  me  is  not  agreeable  to  her.  Such  may  very 
well  be  the  case,  and  so  well  do  I understand  it  that  I ask 
nothing  else  to  set  my  mind  and  heart  at  rest  about 
a person  who  has  made  too  deep  an  impression  upon 
both  not  to  retain  her  place  there.  Nor  can  I suffi- 
ciently impress  on  you,  Madame,  the  good  that  you 
have  done  me  by  relieving  me  from  so  heavy  a burden, 

1 Correspondance  generate,  iv.  425  ; Letter  of  April  18,  1701. 

2 This  letter  from  Madame  de  Maintenon  was  in  answer  to  one 
which  Madame  de  Montespan  had  addressed  to  her,  thanking  her  for 
having  obtained  from  the  King  some  favour  for  Mademoiselle  de 
Vivonne,  one  of  her  nieces.  Louis  had  requested  the  Due  du  Maine 
to  inform  his  mother  that  her  request  had  been  granted  solely  out  of 
deference  to  Madame  de  Maintenon’s  wishes. 

33° 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


which  to  endure  or  to  shake  off  entirely  was  always  very 
painful.  I can  assure  you  that  I feel  greatly  relieved,  to 
an  extent,  indeed,  which  would  have  been  impossible  but 
for  the  explanation  which  you  have  procured  for  me. 
That  is  done ; I thank  you  for  it,  and  ask  nothing  more 
either  of  you  or  Madame  de  Maintenon.  She  has  told 
me  what  could  have  been  told  by  her  alone,  and  which 
authorises  everything  that  I shall  require  to  tell  myself 
in  the  future.  I have  only  to  conclude  your  letter,  as  I 
have  concluded  hers,  by  saying  that  silence  between  her 
and  me  becomes  agreeable  to  myself  when  I know  that  it 
is  so  to  her.”  1 

Madame  de  Montespan’s  chief  consolation  in  her  exile 
was  the  society  of  her  youngest  sister,  Gabrielle  de 
Rochechouart-Mortemart,  Abbess  of  Fontevrault,  with 
whom  she  spent  several  months  each  year.  This  lady, 
whose  appointment  in  1670,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four, 
had  caused  so  much  surprise  and  indignation,  had,  strange 
to  say,  proved  herself  from  the  very  outset  eminently 
qualified  for  the  post,  and  the  reputation  of  the  famous 
abbey  has  never  stood  higher  than  when  under  her 
rule.  All  her  contemporaries,  with  the  single  exception 
of  Madame  de  Sevigne,2  speak  in  the  highest  terms  of 

1 Correspondance  genera le  de  Madame  de  Maintenon,  iv.  268.  A month 
after  this  letter  was  written,  Madame  de  Maintenon  wrote  to  the 
Abbess  of  Fontevrault  : “I  beg  you  to  assure  Madame  de  Montespan 
of  the  sentiments  that  you  know  I retain  for  her  ; I can  never  cease  to 
take  an  interest  in  everything  which  concerns  her,  from  the  most 
important  matters  to  the  most  insignificant.”  M.  Lavallce  has  the 
grace  to  acknowledge  that  this  letter  accords  ill  with  that  of  Madame 
de  Montespan  quoted  above. 

2 In  her  letters  of  May  13  and  July  26,  1671,  Madame  de  Sevigne, 
who,  with  all  her  virtues,  had  very  small  regard  indeed  for  the 

33  * 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Madame  de  Fontevrault,  as  she  was  officially  styled — of 
her  beauty,  of  her  wit,  of  her  learning  without  a sus- 
picion of  pedantry,1  of  her  wonderful  aptitude  for 
affairs,  and  real  kindness  of  heart.  Saint-Simon,  who  dubs 
her  “ the  queen  of  abbesses,”  is  especially  eulogistic. 
“ She  was,”  he  says,  “ the  daughter  of  the  first  Due  de 
Mortemart,  and  sister  of  the  Due  de  Vivonne,  Madame 
de  Thianges,  and  Madame  de  Montespan,  and  was  more 
beautiful  than  the  last,  and,  what  is  of  not  less  import- 
ance, more  witty  than  any  of  them,  with  that  same  turn 
which  no  one  but  themselves,  or  those  who  were  con- 
tinually in  their  society,  have  ever  caught.  In  addition 
to  that,  she  was  very  learned,  even  a good  theologian, 
with  a remarkable  talent  for  governing,  an  ease  and 
a facility  which  made  her  regard  merely  as  play  the 

Ninth  Commandment,  brings  a very  serious  accusation  against  the 
abbess,  namely,  that  she  was  carrying  on  an  intrigue  with  that  rather 
gay  divine,  the  Abbe  Testu.  The  Abbess  defends  herself  from  this 
charge  in  a letter  to  her  friend,  Madame  de  Sable  (August  23,  1671), 
which  M.  Clement  has  published  in  his  interesting  work,  Une  Abbesse 
de  Fontevrault  au  XVIIe  Sikle.  The  author  considers  this  letter, 
wherein  the  lady  offers  to  appeal  to  the  Bishop  of  Angers  if  necessary, 
and  declares  that  she  regards  the  charge  against  her  as  a trial  sent  her 
by  God,  a convincing  proof  of  innocence.  He  thinks  it  not  unlikely 
that  Testu’s  frequent  visits  to  the  abbey  were  paid  not  to  its  superior 
but  to  a relative  of  his  who  appears  to  have  been  a pensioner  there 
about  this  time. 

1 She  was  familiar  with  Italian  and  Spanish,  and  is  said  to  have 
written  and  spoken  Latin  fluently.  She  had  also  some  acquaintance 
with  Hebrew  and  Greek,  and  undertook  a version  of  Plato  with  the 
aid  of  a Latin  translation.  This  she  sent  to  Racine,  who  rewrote  some 
part  of  it,  and  in  1732,  twenty-eight  years  after  her  death,  it  was 
published  under  the  title  of  Le  Banquet  de  Platon , traduit  un  tiers  par 

feu  Monsieur  Racine  de  /’  Academie  franc aise  et  le  reste  par  Madame . 

She  also  translated  a portion  of  the  Iliad,  and  wrote  a little  treatise  on 
Politeness  (la  politesse ),  which  was  published  about  the  same  time. 

332 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


guidance  of  all  her  Order1  and  of  many  great  matters 
into  which  she  entered,  where,  it  is  true,  her  position  much 
contributed  to  her  success.  She  was  very  regular  and 
very  exact,  but  with  such  sweetness,  such  graces,  such 
ways  as  made  her  adored  at  Fontevrault  and  by  all  her 
Order.  Her  least  letters  were  things  to  keep ; her 
ordinary  conversation,  even  in  relation  to  business  or 
discipline,  was  charming,  and  her  addresses  before  the 
Chapter  on  fete-days  were  admirable.”2  Madame  de 
Montespan  was  passionately  attached  to  her,  and,  in  spite 
of  her  imperious  temper,  which  her  favour  had  increased, 
always  showed  her  real  deference.  Louis  XIV.  enter- 
tained for  her  the  greatest  esteem,  which  neither  the  fall 
of  Madame  de  Montespan  nor  the  rise  of  Madame  de 
Maintenon  could  diminish,  and  when  she  died,  showed  as 
much  grief  as  he  was  ever  known  to  exhibit.  It  is  a 
somewhat  curious  illustration  of  the  morals  of  the  time 
that,  although  the  abbess  bore  a high  reputation  for 
piety,  she  never  appears  to  have  thought  it  necessary  to 
make  the  slightest  protest  against  her  sister’s  relations 
with  the  King,  and,  when  the  affairs  of  her  Order  brought 
her  to  Paris,  generally  took  the  opportunity  of  paying  a 
lengthy  visit  to  Versailles  or  Saint-Germain.  However, 
if  she  failed  in  her  duty  in  this  respect,  she  now  played 
the  part  of  comforter  with  the  effectiveness  which  charac- 
terised everything  she  did,  and  probably  the  happiest 
days  of  the  ex-favourite’s  life  after  her  retirement  from 
Court  were  those  spent  amid  the  peaceful  cloisters  of 
Fontevrault. 

Madame  de  Montespan’s  eldest  sister,  Madame  de 

1 The  Abbess  of  Fontevrault  had  jurisdiction  over  all  the  convents  of 
the  Benedictine  Order  in  France. 

2 Memoires  de  Saint-Simon  (edit.  1 8 8 1 ),  iv.  1 1 7. 

333 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Thianges,  was  a very  different  person  from  the  abbess, 
though,  like  her,  she  had  her  full  share  of  the  “ esprit  de 
Mortemart ,”  and  in  her  youth  her  beauty  was  such  that 
poets  were  moved  to  sing  her  praises.  “ Ange  ou  Thiange ,” 
says  La  Fontaine  in  Le  Florentin ; while  Benserade,  in  a 
rhyming  epistle  to  Bussy-Rabutin,  speaks  of  snow  as 
being  less  white  than  her  skin,  and  says  a great  many 
other  flattering  things,  which,  however,  we  hesitate  to 
transcribe,  even  in  the  original.  Madame  de  Caylus 
asserts  that  she  was  folk  on  two  points — her  own  personal 
appearance  and  her  family,1  being  equally  proud  of  both. 
“ . . . As  to  her  person,  she  considered  herself  a chef- 
d'ceuvre  of  Nature,  not  so  much  for  external  beauty  as 
for  the  delicacy  of  the  organs  that  composed  her  body ; 
and  uniting  these  two  points  of  her  insanity,  she  believed 
that  her  beauty  and  the  perfection  of  her  temperament 
proceeded  from  the  difference  which  birth  had  made 
between  her  and  the  world  in  general.”2  The  King  was 
very  fond  of  her,  though  he  used  to  tease  her  unmerci- 
fully, and  the  fall  of  Madame  de  Montespan  made  no 
difference  to  her  position  at  Court,  where  she  occupied 
a magnificent  suite  of  apartments,  had  a standing  invi- 
tation to  join  the  Royal  Family  in  Louis’s  cabinet  in  the 
evening,  and  was  treated  with  the  greatest  deference  by 
every  one.  She  died  in  1693  at  the  age  of  sixty.  Of  her 
two  daughters,  the  elder,  upon  whom  the  King  had  for 
a brief  moment  cast  a rather  more  than  friendly  eye, 
married  the  Due  de  Nevers,  the  brother  of  the  famous 
Mancini  sisters.  The  younger,  “ who  had  a white  skin, 
rather  fine  eyes,  and  a nose  pendant  over  a very  red 

1 She  would  only  admit  that  there  were  two  really  noble  families  in 
France — the  Mortemarts  and  the  La  Rochefoucaulds. 

2 Souvenirs  et  Corrcspondance  de  Madame  de  Caylus  (edit.  1889),  p.  64. 

33+ 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


mouth,  which  made  M.  de  Vendome  say  that  she  re- 
sembled a paroquet  eating  a cherry,”1  also  married  an 
Italian,  the  Duke  Sforza.  He  died  a few  years  later, 
when  the  lady  returned  to  France,  and,  in  her  turn, 
attracted  the  favourable  attention  of  Louis,  but  Madame 
de  Maintenon’s  unceasing  vigilance  prevented  any  inter- 
esting developments.  Saint-Simon  speaks  very  highly  of 
the  beauty  of  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers  and  the  intelligence 
and  amiable  qualities  of  her  sister. 

The  Due  de  Vivonne,  the  ex-favourite’s  only  brother, 
had  died  in  1688.  He  had  served  his  country  with  some 
distinction  on  both  land  and  sea,  and  in  167 6,  in  con- 
junction with  Duquesne,  gained  the  Battle  of  Palermo 
over  the  Spanish  fleet,  the  greatest  naval  victory  which 
France  had  won  up  to  that  time.  But  he  is  chiefly 
memorable  for  the  countless  jests  regarding  his  extreme 
stoutness,  of  the  best  of  which  he  was  himself  the  author. 
On  one  occasion,  the  Chevalier  de  Vendome  challenged 
him  to  a duel  with  pistols.  The  duke  declined  the 
invitation,  laughing  heartily.  “ Why,”  he  cried,  “ M.  de 
Vendome  might  as  well  shoot  at  a porte-cochere  while 
he  is  about  it.”  Another  time,  the  King  was  rallying 
him  on  his  aldermanic  appearance.  “ You  are  getting  to 
look  very  stout,”  said  he.  “You  do  not  take  sufficient 
exercise.”  “ Ah,  Sire,  that  is  a slander,”  replied  Vivonne. 
“ Not  a single  day  passes  but  what  I walk  round  my 
cousin  d’Aumont  ” (who  was  even  stouter  than  himself) 
“ at  least  four  times.”  His  good  humour,  like  his  wit, 
never  failed  him.  At  the  passage  of  the  Rhine  he 
received  a musket-ball  in  the  shoulder,  which  compelled 
him  to  wear  his  arm  in  a sling  for  the  rest  of  his  life  ; 

1 Souvenirs  et  Correspondence  de  Madame  de  Caylus  (edit.  1889), 

p.  67. 


335 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


and,  directly  afterwards,  his  charger,  Jean-le- Blanc, 
stumbled  and  threw  him  into  the  river.  “ Very  fine, 
Jean-le-Blanc  ! ” he  exclaimed,  as  he  was  helped  out  and 
regained  the  saddle.  “ Do  you  want  to  drown  a general 
of  the  galleys  in  fresh  water  ? ” 1 Vivonne  had  a genuine 
love  of  literature  and  frequented  the  society  of  men  of 
letters  as  much  as  the  salons  of  Versailles.  He  was  on 
intimate  terms  with  Moliere  and  Boileau,  and  the  latter 
mentions  him  in  more  than  one  passage  in  his  works. 
Louis  XIV.,  who  never  cared  for  books,  asked  him 
one  day  what  was  to  be  gained  by  reading.  The  duke 
pointed  to  his  own  well-complexioned  face  and  answered  : 
“ Reading  gives  to  the  mind  what  your  Majesty’s  par- 
tridges give  to  my  cheeks.”  Madame  de  Sevigne  speaks 
of  Vivonne  with  a bitterness  unusual  in  her ; but  he  is 
believed  to  have  had  some  affair  with  her  daughter, 
Madame  de  Grignan,  at  Marseilles,  which  probably 
accounts  for  her  dislike  of  him.  By  his  wife,  Antoinette 
des  Mesmes,  who  shared  Madame  de  Montespan’s  im- 
munity at  the  time  of  the  Poison  trials,  he  had  a son, 
who  predeceased  him,  and  five  daughters,  two  of  whom 
took  the  veil  and  became  abbesses,  while  the  other  three 
married  respectively  the  Due  d’Elboeuf,  the  Due  de 
Crequi-Lesdiguieres,  and  the  Marquis  de  Castries. 

Of  her  children  by  the  King,  Madame  de  Montespan 
saw  very  little  after  her  retirement  from  Court.  Their 
attentions  were  discouraged  by  their  royal  father,  and 
they  visited  her  rarely,  and  then  only  after  having  asked 
permission.  The  Due  du  Maine,  who  had  married  in 
1692  Mademoiselle  de  Bourbon-Charolais,  daughter  of 
the  Prince  de  Conde,  a lady  who  was  in  a large  measure 

1 The  Comte  de  Rochechouart’s  Histoire  de  la  Mahon  de  Rochechouart, 
vol.  ii.  ch.  xii. 

336 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


responsible  for  the  troubles  which  befell  her  husband 
during  the  Regency,  held  completely  aloof  from  his 
mother ; but  the  Comte  de  Toulouse,  Madame  la 
Duchesse,  and  the  Duchesse  de  Chartres,  continued  to 
evince  their  affection,  and  always  treated  her  with  the 
utmost  deference  ; and  Madame  de  Montespan  used  her 
influence  over  them  to  compose  the  frequent  quarrels 
between  her  two  daughters  and  between  them  and  their 
husbands,  for  the  Duchesse  de  Bourbon,  if  we  are  to 
believe  Saint-Simon  and  Madame  de  Caylus,  was  far 
from  an  exemplary  wife,  while  the  character  of  her 
sister’s  consort,  the  future  Regent,  is  well  known. 

The  Due  d’Antin,  Madame  de  Montespan’s  son  by 
her  husband,  was,  of  course,  under  no  such  restrictions 
as  his  half-brothers  and  sisters,  and  it  was  he  who  now 
became  the  object  of  the  ex-favourite’s  peculiar  solicitude. 
As  if  desirous  of  making  reparation  for  having  so 
grievously  failed  in  her  duty  towards  him  during  the 
years  when  he  had  most  needed  a mother’s  care,  it 
seemed  that  she  could  not  do  enough  for  him.  “ She 
occupied  herself  with  enriching  him,”  says  Saint-Simon. 
In  1696  she  purchased  the  estate  of  Petit-Bourg  and 
entailed  it  upon  the  Duke  and  his  heirs,  and  six  years 
later  acquired  for  340,000  livres  the  beautiful  Chateau 
of  Oiron  in  Poitou,  and  settled  it  upon  his  children, 
although  she  retained  a life  interest  in  the  property  and 
resided  there  occasionally  ;l  while  when  his  son,  the 

1 Oiron  in  the  middle  ages  was  the  seat  of  a seigneurie , which  belonged 
to  the  House  of  Amboise,  and  afterwards  to  that  of  Sancours.  Charles  VII. 
confiscated  it  and  gave  it  to  one  of  his  favourites,  Guillaume  dc  Gouffier, 
whose  son,  Claude  de  Gouffier,  built  the  chateau,  or  rather  part  of  it, 
for  it  was  not  until  it  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  Due  de  La  Feuillade 
in  1667  that  it  was  completed.  It  contains  a series  of  fine  pictures 

337 


Y 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Marquis  de  Gondrin,  married  Mademoiselle  de  Noailles, 
the  Marchioness  presented  the  young  couple  with 
jewellery  to  the  value  of  100,000  livres,  “half  to  be 
entailed  on  the  eldest  son  and  half  on  the  eldest 
daughter.”1 

The  Due  d’Antin,  Sainte-Beuve’s  parfait  courtesan , it 
may  here  be  remarked,  was  quite  unworthy  of  such 
generosity.  Selfish  to  the  core,  he  never  appears  to  have 
shown  the  least  gratitude  for  the  favours  which  his 
mother  heaped  upon  him,  and  regarded  her  as  an  impedi- 
ment to  his  progress  in  the  good  graces  of  Louis  XIV. 
Moreover,  his  personal  courage  was  open  to  grave 
suspicion,2  and  it  was  rumoured  that  his  extraor- 
dinary success  at  play  was  due  to  something  more  than 
good  fortune.3  In  November  1700,  Madame  de  Mon- 
tespan,  no  doubt  aware  of  these  reports,  and  fearing 
that  sooner  or  later  an  ugly  scandal  would  ensue,  per- 
suaded her  son  to  give  up  play,  promising  to  increase 
the  allowance  she  made  him  by  12,000  livres  in  return 

representing  scenes  from  the  TEneid  by  the  sixteenth-century  painters, 
Pierre  Foulon  and  Noel  Jallier,  while  the  windows  are  adorned  with 
medallions  by  the  sculptor  Mathurin  Bouberault.  In  1568  the  chateau 
was  sacked  by  the  Huguenots  under  Francois  de  Coligny. 

Several  writers  state  that  Oiron  was  given  to  Madame  de  Montespan 
by  the  King.  The  error  has  probably  arisen  from  the  fact  that  Louis 
advanced  part  of  the  purchase-money  to  the  marchioness,  which, 
however,  was  in  exchange  for,  or  on  the  security  of,  a splendid  pearl 
necklace  which  the  lady  had  sent  him. — journal  de  Dangeau,  vii.  278. 

1 Ibid.,  xi.  287. 

2 His  name  was  omitted  from  the  list  of  lieutenant-generals  selected 
for  the  campaign  of  1707,3  circumstance  which  was  much  remarked 
upon. 

3 Dangeau  says  that  d’Antin  confessed  to  having  won  between  six 
and  seven  hundred  thousand  livres  at  play,  “ and  it  was  even  thought 
that  he  had  gained  a great  deal  more.” 

338 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


for  his  renunciation  of  the  card-table.  D’Antin  con- 
sidered that  so  meritorious  an  action  on  his  part  could 
not  fail  to  earn  the  approval  of  the  King,  and  accord- 
ingly requested  the  Comte  de  Toulouse  to  acquaint  his 
Majesty  with  the  fact.  But,  to  his  intense  mortification, 
Louis  coldly  replied  that  the  duke  was  at  liberty  to 
play  or  not  as  he  chose,  but  he  was  at  a loss  to  under- 
stand what  it  had  to  do  with  him.1  The  King,  in  fact, 
notwithstanding  all  d’Antin’s  suppleness,  servility,  and 
intrigue,  remained  impenetrable  so  long  as  Madame  de 
Montespan  lived,  while  Madame  de  Maintenon  was 
equally  disobliging,  though  to  her  also  the  duke  paid 
the  most  assiduous  court.  However,  as  soon  as  he  lost 
his  too  celebrated  mother,  the  complexion  of  affairs 
changed  ; Madame  de  Maintenon  smiled  upon,  the  King 
visited  him  at  Petit-Bourg,  and  not  long  afterwards 
he  was  appointed  Governor  of  Orleanais.  Saint-Simon 
says  that,  on  receiving  the  news  of  his  appointment 
to  this  post,  d’Antin  exclaimed,  in  a transport  of  joy, 
“ I am  thawed  at  last  ! ” 2 

After  her  children,  Madame  de  Montespan’s  principal 
link  with  the  Court  during  her  retirement  was  her  friend, 
the  charming  Duchesse  de  Noailles,  with  whom  the  ex- 
favourite maintained  an  active  correspondence  until  her 
death  in  May  1707.  Her  letters  to  the  duchess  chiefly 
relate  to  the  affairs  of  common  acquaintances  of  whom 
we  know  little  or  nothing  or  to  family  matters ; but  the 
following  are  of  some  interest  : — 

1 Journal  de  Dangeau , vii.  410. 

2 Memoires  de  Saint-Simon  (edit.  1881),  v.  339. 


339 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Madame  de  Montespan  to  the  Duchesse  de 
Noailles. 

“ Fontevrault,  July  22,  1699. 

“ I am  excessively  annoyed  by  Fanchon’s  conduct.1  I 
strongly  suspected,  as  you  did  me  the  honour  to  write 
to  me,  that  something  would  happen,  and  this  very 
day  her  sister  has  brought  me  a letter,  from  which  she 
learns  of  her  marriage,  and  that  it  was  a clandestine  one. 
These  kind  of  adventures  disincline  one  very  much 
from  meddling  in  such  matters.  In  good  truth,  I am  in 
despair  over  this  affair ; it  troubles  me  more  seriously 
than  such  matters  generally  do,  owing  to  the  secrecy 
which  accompanied  it. 

“ I have  shown  your  letter  to  my  sister,  who  thanks 
you  for  having  decided  to  send  her  your  daughter.  In 
regard  to  that,  everything  that  you  can  possibly  desire 
will  be  done.  All  you  will  have  to  do  is  to  explain 
everything  clearly  down  to  the  smallest  details  and 
communicate  them  through  me.  We  have  been  accus- 
tomed this  long  while  to  discuss  domestic  affairs  and  to 
calculate  great  and  small  matters.  I believe  that  you 
intend  to  send  the  furniture  and  all  that  she  had  at  Saint- 
Antoine.  As  for  the  vocation,  I can  answer  for  that. 
This  is  a convent  where  no  novice  refuses  to  take  the 
vows,  and  with  reason,  for  it  is  most  holy  and  most 

1 Fanchon  was  one  of  the  orphan  girls  at  Saint-Joseph,  who  had 
made  a secret  marriage,  when  Madame  de  Montespan  had  evidently 
had  other  matrimonial  intentions  in  regard  to  her.  “ Madame  de  Monte- 
span,” says  Saint-Simon,  “was  very  fond  of  marrying  people,  especially 
young  girls  ; but  as,  after  all  her  charitable  donations,  she  had  very  little 
to  give  them,  it  was  very  often  a case  of  mating  hunger  and  thirst.” 

34° 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


beautiful,  and  one  where  the  nuns  are  a thousand  times 
more  happy  than  all  the  rest  of  the  world. 

“ Two  girls  took  the  habit  yesterday.  Mademoiselle  de 
Bourbon  (her  granddaughter)  reckons  that  in  seven  years 
she  will  do  the  same.  You  can  count  on  your  daughter 
doing  so  also,  if  you  are  wise  enough  to  consent  to  it. 

“ Convey  my  compliments,  I beg  you,  Madame,  to  the 
archbishop  and  the  marshal.”  1 

Madame  de  Montespan  to  the  Duchesse  de 
Noailles. 

“ Bellegarde,2  October  21,  1699. 

“ I have  found  my  sister  so  weak  after  her  course  of 
the  waters,  having,  indeed,  a slight  attack  of  fever,  that  I 
have  not  thought  it  advisable  to  speak  to  her  of  anything 
calculated  to  excite  her.  What  you  have  written  to  me 
gives  me  the  impression  that  you  are  aware  that  the  King 
once  offered  her  Montmartre,3  in  order  to  bring  her 
nearer  to  Court.  She  declined  from  conscientious  motives, 
believing  that  she  ought  to  remain  where  she  was.  Since 
that  time  her  charge  has  become  a very  heavy  one  ; the 
edict  of  ’95  and  the  manner  in  which  the  bishops  have 
abused  it  render  her  yoke  very  difficult  to  bear.4  Never- 

1 The  Duchesse  de  Noailles’s  brother-in-law  and  husband.  The 
former,  Cardinal  de  Noailles,  had  succeeded  Harlay  de  Chanvallon  as 
Archbishop  of  Paris  in  1696. 

2 Bellegarde-en-Gatinais.  It  was  a chateau  which  the  Due  d’Antin 
had  inherited  from  his  uncle,  the  Due  de  Bellegarde.  Madame  de 
Montespan  frequently  visited  her  son  there. 

3 The  abbey  of  Montmartre,  to  the  north  of  Paris.  The  post  of 
abbess  had  just  fallen  vacant,  and  it  was  thought  that  the  King  might 
offer  it  to  Madame  de  Fontevrault. 

4 An  edict  of  April  1695,  which  gave  the  bishops  increased  powers 
over  the  religious  houses  in  their  dioceses. 

34i 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


theless,  I do  not  think  that  she  will  be  able  to  make  up 
her  mind  to  leave  it,  merely  for  the  sake  of  an  easier 
post ; and,  for  myself,  I frankly  confess  to  you  that, 
apart  from  her  interests,  for  which  I would  sacrifice 
everything,  I much  prefer  Fontevrault  to  Montmartre. 

“ When  one  acts  in  good  faith  (i.e.  in  retiring  from 
Court)  one  would  rather  be  far  away  than  near,  and  I 
have  found,  even  in  the  short  time  I have  spent  in  Paris, 
so  much  need  for  care  and  circumspection,  especially  in 
regard  to  appearances,  that  it  seemed  to  me  the  pain 
greatly  exceeded  the  pleasure.  . . .”  1 


Madame  de  Montespan  to  the  Duchesse  de 
Noailles. 

“ Bellegarde,  November  2,  1699. 

“ I am  so  little  conversant  with  affairs  at  Court  that  I 
know  not  what  sort  of  condolences  I ought  to  offer  on 
the  death  of  Madame  de  Montchevreuil.2  For  my  own 
part,  I have  grieved  for  her  ; I looked  upon  her  as  a very 
good  woman,  and,  besides,  I retain  an  affection  for  all  my 
old  acquaintances.  I have  begged  M.  du  Maine,  from 
whom  I learnt  the  news,  to  convey  my  condolences  to  her 
family  and  also  to  Madame  de  Maintenon.  I ask  of 
you  the  same  favour  and  to  convey  them  in  the  way 
likely  to  be  acceptable.  I am  always  embarrassed  on 
these  occasions  to  know  what  is  the  right  step  to  take. 
My  inclination  very  naturally  leads  me  to  show  Madame 
de  Maintenon  what  my  feelings  are  for  her  ; but  you 
know,  Madame,  that  intercourse  with  me  is  not  agreeable 

1 Clement’s  Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIV.,  p.  335. 

2 Madame  de  Montchevreuil  had  quarrelled  with  Madame  de 
Maintenon  shortly  before  her  death. 

342 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


to  her.  Let  that  be  said  without  any  intent  to  reproach 
her,  for  I am  more  than  satisfied  with  what  I received 
from  her,  through  you,  during  the  past  year ; but  simply 
to  show  you  that,  in  point  of  fact,  I am  still  endeavouring 
to  discover  what  I ought  to  do  in  order  to  please  ; as 
when  I have  followed  my  natural  bent  in  allowing  myself 
to  be  forgotten,  I found  that  I was  being  done  more 
honour  than  I thought,  and  that  I was  remembered  for 
my  conduct  to  be  found  fault  with.  All  this,  joined 
to  my  peaceful  disposition,  makes  me  fear  all  eventu- 
alities. . . .”  1 

Another  person  with  whom  Madame  de  Montespan 
corresponded  during  her  exile  was  the  learned  Daniel 
Huet,  Bishop  of  Avranches,  whose  acquaintance  she 
had  made  many  years  before  at  the  Court  when  he  was 
acting  as  sous-precepteur  to  the  Dauphin.  Few  men  in 
the  seventeenth  century  enjoyed  a higher  or  more 
extensive  reputation  than  Huet,  distinguished  alike  as  a 
theologian,  a mathematician,  and  a philologist,  and,  with 
all  his  learning,  a pleasant  and  genial  companion.  A 
contemporary  describes  him  as  “ a true  sage,  loving  the 
world  and  pleasure,  devoting  himself  in  turn  to  society 
and  study,  distressed  on  account  of  not  having  enough 
piety,  and,  nevertheless,  a good  bishop.”  The  corre- 
spondence between  him  and  Madame  de  Montespan  seems 
to  have  begun  in  an  argument  which  they  had  had  about 
the  respective  merits  of  conversation  and  letter-writing. 
Huet  had  maintained  that  conversation  was  too  often 

1 Correspondance  generate  de  Madame  de  Maintenon,  iv.  46.  This 
letter  need  occasion  us  no  surprise.  As  we  have  already  seen, 
Madame  de  Montespan  and  Madame  de  Maintenon  always  professed 
before  the  world  the  greatest  regard  for  one  another. 

343 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


vapid,  profitless,  and  even  dangerous ; that  people  spoke 
merely  for  the  sake  of  doing  so  and  without  due  reflec- 
tion ; that  many  of  the  best  and  cleverest  things  that 
were  said  fell  on  indifferent  ears  and  were  allowed  to  die 
with  the  moment  that  had  given  them  birth  ; and  that 
not  infrequently  persons  were  misunderstood  and  gave 
offence  where  none  was  intended.  “ Writing,  on  the 
other  hand,”  says  Madame  de  Montespan,  summarising 
the  bishop’s  argument,  “ is  subject  to  none  of  these  in- 
conveniences ; it  is  at  once  the  safeguard  of  those  who 
write  and  of  those  to  whom  they  write.  People  express 
themselves  without  restraint,  because  their  words  are  only 
addressed  to  the  person  whom  they  desire  to  hear  them, 
and  what  they  say  becomes  infinitely  more  agreeable  to 
the  recipient  from  the  knowledge  that  he  is  not  com- 
pelled to  share  it  with  any  one.  But  what  constitutes 
the  great  advantage  of  letters  over  conversation  is  that 
they  do  not  consist  of  mere  words  which  the  wind 
carries  away  and  the  air  dissipates ; they  render  thoughts 
visible  and  as  durable  as  the  paper  to  which  they  are 
confided.  We  have  the  pleasure  of  recognising  therein 
the  hand  of  the  person  who  writes  to  us,  of  following  it 
along  all  the  lines  over  which  it  has  passed  ; we  can  seek 
even  in  the  way  in  which  the  words  are  traced  for  what 
the  most  eloquent  utterances  would  be  powerless  to 
make  us  feel.” 

The  marchioness  protested  that  letters  lacked  the 
sparkle  and  animation  of  conversation,  and  that  even 
the  most  happy  phrases  left  the  reader  cold  and  un- 
moved ; but  eventually  pretended  to  agree  with  the 
bishop  and  writes  to  him  : — 

“You  see,  Monsieur,  that  I have  profited  very  well 
by  your  instructions,  and  I hope  that  you  will  perceive  it 

344 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


still  more  clearly  in  the  future  by  the  correspondence 
which  I begin  with  you  to-day.” 

The  correspondence  in  question,  in  which  Madame  de 
Montespan  was  frequently  assisted  by  the  Abbess  of 
Fontevrault  or  one  of  her  nieces,  is  not  of  any  historic 
interest,  consisting  for  the  most  part  of  compliments, 
protestations,  reproaches,  and  excuses,  but  it  is  distinctly 
amusing. 

Madame  de  Montespan  and  Gabrielle  Victoire 
de  Rochechouart  to  Daniel  Huet. 

“ We  take  the  liberty  of  sending  you  these  little  New 
Year’s  Gifts  which  accompany  the  good  wishes  that  we 
express  for  your  prosperity  and  health.  May  God 
augment  your  cheerfulness  ; may  he  preserve  your  good 
temper ; may  he  maintain  the  freshness  of  your  com- 
plexion ; may  he  render  your  waters  purgative,  your 
perspirations  abundant,  the  strawberries  refreshing,  and 
the  peas  more  easy  to  digest.  These  are  the  good  wishes 
of  your  very  humble  and  obedient  servants, — Fran^oise 
de  Rochechouart;  Gabrielle  Victoire  de  Roche- 
chouart.” 1 

Sometimes  they  expressed  themselves  in  verse.  One 
day  the  bishop  having  been  invited  to  dinner  by  Madame 
de  Montespan,  gallantly  excused  himself  as  follows  : — 

“ Un  barbon  frileux  comme  moi, 

A perruque  et  barbe  chenue, 

Ne  doit  pas,  ailleurs  que  chez  soi, 

Montrer  sa  mine  morfondue. 


1 Clement’s  Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIV.,  p.  174.  Gabrielle 
Victoire  de  Rochechouart  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  the  Due  de 
Vivonne.  In  1689  she  became  Abbess  of  Beaumont-les-Tours. 

345 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Votre  palais  est  tout  ouvert,1 
L’on  y voit  l’un  et  l’autre  pole, 

Et  l’on  y sent,  comme  au  Cap-Vert, 
Les  trente-deux  souffles  d’Eole. 

Ouand  la  bise  perce  les  os 

Des  rigueurs  de  sa  froide  haleine, 

Ni  les  bons  mets,  ni  les  bons  mots 
Ne  valent  pas  1’ouate  et  la  laine. 

Vos  yeux,  astres  des  beaux  esprits, 

Font  tout  l’ornement  de  notre  age  ; 

Mais  la  martre  et  le  petit-gris 

M’echauffent  pourtant  davantage. 

L’on  souffre  plus  d’une  langueur 
Pres  de  votre  beaute  divine  : 

Si  l’amour  attaque  le  cceur, 

Le  rhume  attaque  la  poitrine. 

Ouand  je  vous  conte  mes  douleurs, 
Vous  ne  daignez  pas  y repondre  : 

Ce  sont  de  nouvelles  froideurs, 

Et  vous  me  laissez  me  morfondre. 

Vous  en  trouverez-vous  bien  mieux 
Si  je  reviens  malade  et  triste 

De  ce  repas  delicieux 

Ou  vous  souhaitez  que  j’assiste. 

N’attendez  done  plus  mon  retour 

Ou’au  retour  des  chaleurs  nouvelles  ; 

Je  n’irai  vous  faire  ma  cour 

Ou’au  premier  vol  des  hirondelles.” 


To  which  the  lady,  anxious  to  prove  that  she  had  not 
been  the  patroness  of  the  poets  for  nothing,  replied  : — 


Probably  Clagny. 

3+6 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Non,  ne  vous  imaginez  pas 

Me  payer  d’une  vaine  excuse  : 

Je  ne  sais  si  j’ai  des  appas, 

Mais  je  hais  fort  qu’on  me  refuse. 

Ouoi  ! de  fourrures  tout  arme  ! 

Lorsque  pour  vous  la  nappe  est  mise 

Dans  un  lieu  bien  clos,  bien  ferme, 

Pres  de  moi  vous  craignez  la  bise  ! 

Voudrois-je  mettre  a l’abandon 
Votre  sante  qui  m’est  si  chere  ? 

Vous  souvient-il  comme  a Bourbon 
Mon  secours  vous  fut  salutaire  J 

La,  vous  receviez  de  mes  mains 

Fruits,  pois  verts,  artichauts,  salades 

Tandis  que  tous  les  medecins 

Les  defendoient  a leur  malades.  . . . 

Vous  viendrez,  dites-vous,  me  voir 
Au  retour  de  la  primevere  ? 

Et  moi  je  vous  le  fais  savoir, 

Fuyez  a jamais  ma  colere. 

Las  ! malgre  moi,  mon  cceur  trop  bon, 
Me  parle  de  misericorde  : 

Si  vous  venez  crier  pardon, 

Je  crains  fort  qu’on  ne  vous  l’accorde.”1 


Occasionally,  their  correspondence  took  a more  serious 
turn.  Thus,  one  day  Madame  de  Montespan  propounded 
to  Huet  a question  after  the  manner  of  the  Precieuses  of 
the  Hotel  de  Rambouillet:  “Which  is  preferable — illusion 
or  truth  ? ” 

The  good  bishop  replied  at  great  length,  examining 
closely  the  arguments  of  the  advocates  of  illusion,  and 
summing  up,  as  might  be  expected,  in  favour  of  truth. 


Revue  retrospective,  October  1833. 

347 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


We  give  below  part  of  his  letter,  which  is  too  long  for 
insertion  in  full  : — 


Daniel  Huet  to  Madame  de  Montespan. 

“ December  17,  1691. 

“To  give  a satisfactory  answer  to  this  question  : 
‘ Which  is  preferable— illusion  or  truth  ? ’ one  must 
know  what  is  illusion  and  what  is  truth.  Illusion,  that 
is  to  say,  error,  is  a disposition  of  our  mind  which  makes 
us  see  things  as  they  are  not.  Truth  is  a contrary  dis- 
position, which  makes  us  see  things  as  they  are.  That 
granted,  it  is  obvious  that  a person  in  a state  of  illusion 
would  not  be  capable  of  deciding  which  of  the  two  is  to 
be  preferred,  since  he  would  not  know  one  from  the 
other  and  would  see  them  as  they  are  not.  This  question 
ought  not  to  be  put  except  to  a person  who  is  free  from 
illusion  and  capable  of  recognising  truth. 

“ Now  there  is  no  one  capable  of  recognising  truth 
who  could  prefer  illusion  to  truth  ; for  if  he  preferred 
illusion  to  truth,  he  would  prefer  to  be  in  a state  of 
illusion  than  to  know  the  truth  ; in  other  words,  being 
sane,  he  would  desire  to  become  mad,  for  illusion  is  a 
passing  madness,  and  from  the  moment  that  he  had  this 
desire  he  would  be  mad,  since  it  is  an  infallible  sign  of 
madness  to  love  folly  and  prefer  evil  to  good.  Further, 
those  who  take  the  side  of  illusion  say,  to  support  so 
extraordinary  a contention,  that  illusion  is  an  agreeable 
deception  ; that  gaiety,  pleasure,  and  hope  accompany  it ; 
while  truth,  on  the  contrary,  is  sad,  dull,  and  wearisome. 
They  argue  that,  when  illusion  deceives  us,  it  is  always 
entirely  to  our  advantage,  inasmuch  as  it  shows  us  our 
condition  happier  than  it  really  is.  But  illusion  can 

3+8 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 

deceive  us  for  evil  as  well  as  for  good  : avarice  persuades 
the  rich  that  they  are  poor,  as  intoxication  persuades  the 
poor  that  they  are  rich.  If  the  illusion  of  pride  makes 
us  see  in  ourselves  good  qualities  which  do  not  exist,  the 
illusion  of  humility  prevents  us  from  seeing  those  which 
do  exist.  If  the  illusion  of  temerity  hides  real  dangers, 
the  illusion  of  cowardice  shows  us  imaginary  ones.  There 
is  as  much  to  lose  as  to  gain  in  these  diverse  kinds  of 
illusions,  and  it  is  a very  poor  reason  for  preferring  them 
to  truth  to  say  that  they  are  agreeable  and  fill  the  soul 
with  hope  and  joy,  since  they  as  often  have  a contrary 
effect.  . . .” 

When,  in  June  1692,  Henri  Arnauld,  Bishop  of  Angers, 
died,  Madame  de  Montespan  was  very  anxious  that  Huet 
should  get  himself  translated  to  the  vacant  see,  an  event 
which  would  have  brought  him  within  easy  distance  of 
Fontevrault,  and  wrote  to  him  as  follows  : — 


Madame  de  Montespan  to  Daniel  Huet. 

“ Sunday  morning. 

“ My  sister  informed  me  yesterday  of  the  death  of 
M.  d’Angers.  If  you  have  still  the  same  liking  for  our 
neighbourhood,  this  would  be  a fine  opportunity.  It  is 
needless  for  me  to  tell  you  how  delighted  we  should  be 
to  have  you  so  near  us  ; it  would  also  be  a great  advantage 
for  the  abbess  in  her  important  charge  at  Fontevrault.1 
As  I do  not  know  whether  the  change  would  be  an  advan- 
tageous one  for  you,  I dare  not  say  any  more  about  it. 
I beg  you,  Monsieur,  to  send  me  news  of  your  gout ; 
I am  much  troubled  on  account  of  your  ill-health.” 


1 The  Abbey  of  Fontevrault  was  in  the  diocese  of  Angers. 

349 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Huet,  however,  was  not  appointed  to  the  vacant 
bishopric,  which  was  given  to  Michel  Le  Peletier ; and 
not  long  afterwards  his  correspondence  with  Madame  de 
Montespan  ceased  altogether,  for  what  reason  we  are 
unable  to  say ; and  it  is  not  a little  singular  that  in  his 
Memoires 1 the  bishop  does  not  so  much  as  mention  the 
lady’s  name,  though  he  speaks  in  the  highest  terms  ot 
her  sister,  the  Abbess  of  Fontevrault. 

1 These  memoirs  were  written  in  Latin,  which  Huet  seems  to  have 
spoken  and  written  almost  as  easily  as  his  native  tongue.  There  is  a 
French  translation  by  Nisard. 


35° 


CHAPTER  XXII 

Madame  de  Montespan’s  conversations  with  Madame  de 
Miramion — She  becomes  sincerely  penitent  — Her  noble 
generosity— She  founds  the  Hospice  of  Oiron— Particulars 
regarding  this  institution — She  places  herself  under  the 
guidance  of  Pere  de  La  Tour— And  writes  to  her  husband, 
entreating  his  pardon — Answer  of  the  Marquis  de  Montespan 
— Death  of  her  sister,  the  Abbess  of  Fontevrault — Madame  de 
Montespan’s  secret  macerations  and  penitent  life — Her  horror 
of  death — She  still  retains  her  queenly  manner — “ La  chambre 
du  Roi  ” at  Oiron — She  has  a presentiment  of  her  approaching 
death — She  is  taken  ill  at  Bourbon — Her  last  hours — Heartless 
conduct  of  the  Due  d’Antin — A painful  scandal — Louis  XIV. 
receives  the  news  of  her  death  with  profound  indifference — 

His  remark  to  the  Duchesse  de  Bourgogne — Relief  of  the 
Due  du  Maine — Sincere  grief  of  the  Comte  de  Toulouse  and 
his  sisters — Conduct  of  Madame  de  Maintenon — Madame  de 
Montespan’s  sincere  penitence  and  honest  endeavour  to  atone 
for  the  past  her  best  claim  to  our  regard. 

At  the  beginning  of  her  visits  to  Saint-Joseph,  Madame 
de  Montespan,  says  the  Abbe  de  Choisy,  had  several 
interviews  with  the  celebrated  devote , Madame  de 
Miramion,1  “ to  see  if  a conversation  entirely  about  God 
could  cause  her  to  forget  the  world.”  These  interviews 

1 Marie  Bonneau,  wife  of  Jacques  de  Beauharnais,  Seigneur  de 
Miramion.  She  founded  two  houses  of  refuge  for  fallen  women,  and, 
in  1 66 1,  a community  of  twelve  nuns,  who  devoted  themselves  to  the 
care  of  the  sick  and  poor.  This  community,  which  was  known  as  the 

35  1 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


did  not  apparently  have  much  effect  upon  the  marchioness 
at  the  time.  “ She  wept  much,  but  her  tears  were  those 
of  weakness  and  despair,  not  yet  of  penitence.”  1 How- 
ever, as  the  years  went  by,  Madame  de  Montespan 
gradually  became  sincerely  penitent,  and  ended  by  throw- 
ing herself  into  devotion  with  the  same  passion  which  she 
had  formerly  displayed  in  ambition  and  love.  Always 
generously  inclined,  she  now  redoubled  her  benefactions, 
and  made  a truly  noble  use  of  her  wealth,  building  and 
enriching  hospitals  and  convents,  pensioning  members  of 
the  poor  noblesse , whom  the  ruinous  wars  had  reduced 
almost  to  the  verge  of  starvation,  and  performing  count- 
less deeds  of  kindness  with  as  much  intelligence  as 
liberality.  We  have  spoken  elsewhere  of  her  foundations 
at  Paris,  Fontainebleau,  and  Saint-Germain,  and  of  the 
munificent  support  she  accorded  for  so  many  years  to 
the  general  hospital  in  the  latter  town ; but  we  have 
yet  to  speak  of  the  last  and  most  important  of  her 
good  works — the  hospital  which  she  founded  at  Oiron  in 
1703. 

For  some  years  the  ex-favourite  had  maintained  at 
Fontevrault,  entirely  at  her  own  expense,  a kind  of  home 
for  aged  persons  and  orphans  of  both  sexes,  which  was 
conducted  by  sisters  of  charity  from  the  community  of 
Saint- Lazare  de  Paris.  But  when,  in  1700,  she  purchased 
Oiron,  she  decided  to  establish  a hospice  there  which 
might  be  more  directly  under  her  own  supervision  ; and, 
accordingly,  three  years  later,  removed  her  pensioners 
from  Fontevrault  to  a spot  near  her  new  chateau,  where 

Dames  Miramiones  or  Miramionites,  was  afterwards  incorporated  with 
the  Congregation  des  Filles  de  Sainte-Genevieve.  Their  principal 
house  was  on  the  Quai  des  Miramiones,  now  the  Quai  d’Orsay. 

1 Bonneau’s  Vie  de  Madame  de  Beauharnais  de  Miramion,  p.  304. 

352 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


spacious  buildings  had  been  erected  for  their  reception 
and  “ furnished  with  beds,  linen,  crockery,  and  everything 
necessary  for  the  maintenance  and  lodging  of  poor  people.” 
The  foundation  deed,  dated  July  4,  1704,  states  that  the 
hospice,  which  was  to  be  placed  under  the  name  and  invo- 
cation of  the  Holy  Family,  was  intended  for  the  support 
of  one  hundred  poor  persons  of  either  sex,  “professing  the 
Catholic,  Apostolic  and  Roman  faith.”  The  governing 
body  was  to  consist  of  the  bishop  of  the  diocese  (Poitiers) 
and  his  successors,  the  seigneur  of  Oiron  and  his 
successors,  the  dean  of  the  chapter  of  Oiron,  the  cur6  of 
the  parish,  and  the  seneschals  of  Oiron,  Cursay,  and 
Moncontour.  The  Bishop  of  Poitiers,  or  some  high 
ecclesiastical  dignitary  appointed  by  him,  was  to  hold  an 
annual  visitation,  when  the  governors  were  to  meet  and 
the  accounts  for  the  past  year  to  be  audited.  The  towns 
of  Moncontour  and  Cursay  were  to  have  the  privilege  of 
nominating  six  pensioners,  the  parishes  of  Marnes, 
Vignolles,  Saint-Chartres,  Saint-Martin  d’OuzilR,  Messe, 
Notre-Dame  d’Or,  Glenouze,  and  Montbrillais  two  each, 
the  Abbess  of  Fontevrault  six,  and  the  Bishop  of  Poitiers 
three.  The  remaining  places  were  to  be  reserved  for  the 
poor  of  Oiron.  Provision  was  made  for  the  spiritual 
needs  of  the  inmates  by  the  appointment  of  a resident 
chaplain  ; and  the  deed  further  states  that  “ a person  who 
did  not  wish  his  name  known  ” had  given  the  sum  of 
4200  livres  for  the  special  support  of  twenty-four  old 
men,  who  were  to  form  a separate  body,  “ charged  with 
the  duty  of  offering  up  private  prayers  on  behalf  of 
Madame  de  Montespan.”  1 

The  Hospice  of  Oiron  is  still  in  existence  and,  as 
we  have  already  mentioned,  contains  a fine  portrait  of 

1 Clement’s  Madame  de  Montespan  et  Louis  XIV.,  p.  415  et  seq . 

353  z 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Madame  de  Montespan,  which  is  believed  to  be  the 
work  of  Mignard. 

Madame  de  Montespan’s  endeavours  to  make  atone- 
ment for  the  past  were  very  far  from  being  confined  to 
philanthropy.  She  sought  for  some  wise  and  enlightened 
directeur,  and  surrendered  herself  to  the  guidance  of 
Pere  de  La  Tour,  General  of  the  Oratory,  professing  her 
readiness  to  follow  his  instructions  in  all  things.  The 
Oratorian  took  her  at  her  word,  and  imposed  upon  her 
a terrible  test  of  penitence — nothing  less  than  that  she 
should  entreat  her  husband’s  pardon  and  place  herself  in 
his  hands.  After  Jong  agonies  of  hesitation,  the  haughty 
woman  consented,  and  wrote  to  the  marquis  offering  to 
return  to  him,  if  he  would  deign  to  receive  her,  or  to  live 
in  whatever  place  he  might  appoint.  “To  those  who 
knew  Madame  de  Montespan,”  says  Saint-Simon,  “ this 
must  have  seemed  a most  heroic  sacrifice.”  It  was,  how- 
ever, a vain  one.  Montespan,  though  the  chronicler 
asserts  that  he  had  always  loved  his  erring  wife,  and  con- 
tinued to  love  her  to  the  day  of  his  death,  sent  word, 
through  a third  person,  that  he  would  neither  receive 
her,  nor  lay  his  commands  upon  her,  nor  hear  her  name 
mentioned  so  long  as  he  lived.1 

In  August  1704  a great  sorrow  befell  the  marchioness. 
The  Abbess  of  Fontevrault,  that  well-loved  sister,  in 
whose  unvarying  kindness  and  affection  she  had  found 
her  chief  consolation  in  her  exile,  died  suddenly.  It  is 
from  this  event  that  in  all  probability  date  those  re- 
doubled penances,  those  cruel  mortifications  of  the  flesh, 
that  terrible  and  ever-present  horror  of  death  which  only 
those  who  were  aware  of  the  revelations  of  Marguerite 
Monvoisin  and  her  fellow-prisoners  could  have  explained, 

1 Memoires  de  Saint-Simon  (edit.  1881),  v.  261. 

354 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


and  of  which  Saint-Simon  speaks  in  the  following  curious 
passage  in  his  Memoir es  : — 

“ Little  by  little  she  proceeded  to  give  nearly  all  she 
had  to  the  poor.1  She  worked  for  them  several  hours  a 
day  at  humble  and  rough  tasks,  to  wit,  shirts  and  such 
like  things,  and  she  made  those  about  her  work  at  them 
too.  Her  table,  which  she  had  loved  to  excess,  became 
most  frugal ; her  fasts  were  multiplied,  and  at  all  hours 
of  the  day  she  would  leave  whatever  occupation  she  hap- 
pened to  be  engaged  in  to  go  and  pray  in  her  closet. 
Her  mortifications  of  the  flesh  were  constant ; her  chemises 
and  sheets  were  of  the  coarsest  and  roughest  unbleached 
linen,  but  concealed  beneath  ordinary  sheets  and  under- 
wear. She  wore  continually  bracelets,  garters,  and  a 
girdle  of  steel  with  iron  points  ; and  her  tongue,  formerly 
so  dreaded,  had  its  penance  also.  She  was  further  so 
tortured  by  horror  of  death  that  she  paid  several  women 
whose  sole  employment  was  to  sit  up  with  her  at  night. 
She  lay  with  her  bed-curtains  drawn  back,  with  her  room 
ablaze  with  candles,  her  watchers  around  her,  whom, 
whenever  she  woke  up,  she  wished  to  find  talking,  playing 
cards,  or  eating,  to  assure  herself  that  they  were  not 
drowsy.”2 

And  yet,  strangely  enough,  with  all  her  bodily  suffering 
and  moral  subjection,  she  could  never  bring  herself  to 
abandon  that  queenly  air  and  manner  which  she  had 
assumed  in  the  days  of  her  favour,  and  which  had 
followed  her  into  retirement.  At  Saint-Joseph,  where 
the  most  eminent  persons  of  the  Court  came  to  pay  their 

1 When,  at  the  beginning  of  170 7,  Louis  XIV.  reduced  her  pension, 
she  sent  word  to  him  that  she  was  sorry  for  the  poor,  not  for  herself ; 
they  would  be  the  losers. 

2 Memoires  de  Saint-Simon  (edit.  1881),  v.  262. 

355 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


respects  to  her,  it  was  remarked  that  there  was  but  one 
fauteuil  in  her  salon,  her  own ; and  even  her  children,  on 
the  rare  occasions  on  which  Louis  permitted  them  to  see 
her,  had  to  be  content  with  stools.  She  spoke  to  every 
one  as  if  she  were  doing  them  an  exceeding  honour,  and 
never  returned  a visit,  however  exalted  the  rank  of  her 
caller  might  be.  At  her  chateau  at  Oiron,  numerous 
portraits  of  herself,  Louis  XIV.,  and  the  Royal  Family, 
hung  on  the  walls  as  silent  witnesses  of  her  connection 
with  the  House  of  Bourbon  ; while,  although  the  King 
never  entered  its  doors,  nor,  indeed,  ever  saw  his  former 
mistress  again  from  the  time  of  her  retirement  from 
Court  till  the  day  of  her  death,  there  was  a room  called 
“ la  chambre  du  Roi ,”  magnificently  furnished. 

The  hour  which  Madame  de  Montespan  had  so  much 
dreaded  at  length  arrived.  About  the  middle  of  May 
1707  she  went,  as  was  her  custom  at  that  time  of  year, 
to  the  waters  at  Bourbon.  Although  perfectly  well,  she 
had  a strong  presentiment  that  her  end  was  near,  and 
accordingly,  before  leaving  Paris,  paid  all  the  pensions 
she  was  in  the  habit  of  giving  two  years  in  advance,  and 
doubled  her  customary  alms.  Her  fears  were  but  too 
well  founded.  One  evening,  soon  after  her  arrival  at 
Bourbon,  she  retired  to  rest  in  her  usual  health,  but  in 
the  middle  of  the  night  was  taken  suddenly  ill.  Her 
watchers  awoke  Marechale  de  Coeuvres,  one  of  the 
Duchesse  de  Noailles’s  daughters,  who  had  accompanied 
the  marchioness  from  Paris,  and  this  lady,  finding  her 
friend  gasping  for  breath,  instead  of  at  once  summoning 
medical  aid,  proceeded  to  administer  a powerful  emetic, 
which  effectually  disposed  of  any  chance  which  the  un- 
fortunate woman  might  have  had  of  recovering. 

Buffon  has  compared  death  to  a spectre  that  terrifies 

356 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


us  from  afar,  but  disappears  when  we  approach  it ; and 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  last  hours,  as  Sainte-Beuve 
points  out,  are  a remarkable  illustration  of  the  truth  of 
this  dictum.  Now  that  she  was  actually  in  the  presence 
of  the  King  of  Terrors,  her  fears  vanished  and  troubled 
her  no  more.  “ She  profited  by  a brief  respite  from  pain 
to  confess  and  receive  the  sacraments,”  says  Saint-Simon. 
“ Before  doing  so,  she  called  in  all  her  servants,  even  the 
humblest,  and  made  public  confession  of  her  public  sins, 
asking  pardon  for  the  scandal  she  had  so  long  caused,  and 
for  her  ill-temper,  with  so  deep  and  penitent  a humility 
than  nothing  could  be  more  edifying.”  She  then  received 
the  last  sacraments  with  the  deepest  piety.  “ Father,” 
she  said  to  the  Capuchin  who  administered  them,  “exhort 
me  as  an  ignorant  person,  as  simply  as  you  can.”1  “She 
thanked  God  before  all  present,”  continues  the  great 
chronicler,  “for  permitting  her  to  die  far  away  from  the 
children  of  her  sin,  and  she  never  spoke  of  them  but  that 
once  during  her  illness.  Her  mind  was  occupied  only 
with  Eternity  (though  they  tried  to  encourage  her  with 
hopes  of  recovery)  and  with  her  condition  as  a sinner, 
whose  fears  were  tempered  by  a sure  confidence  in  the 
mercy  of  God.”2 

The  Due  d’Antin,  who  was  in  attendance  on  the 
Dauphin  at  Livry,  learning  of  his  mother’s  condition, 
reached  Bourbon  three  days  after  she  had  been  taken 
ill.  The  following  afternoon  a courier  sent  by  him 
arrived  at  Marly,  where  the  Court  then  was,  with  in- 
telligence that  Madame  de  Montespan  was  at  the  point 
of  death,  whereupon  the  King  gave  permission  to  the 

1 Letter  of  Madame  de  Maintenon  to  the  Princesse  des  Ursins, 
June  19,  1707. 

2 Memoires  de  Saint-Simon  (edit.  1881),  v.  266. 

357 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Comte  de  Toulouse1  to  go  to  Bourbon.  The  young 
Count,  who  loved  his  mother  dearly,  started  without  a 
moment’s  delay  ; but  near  Montargis  was  met  by  an 
equerry  of  the  Due  d’Orleans,  from  whom  he  learned 
that  he  was  too  late.2 

Madame  de  Montespan  had  expired  in  the  early  hours 
of  the  morning  of  May  27. 

Doubtless  thinking  that  d’Antin,  as  Madame  de  Monte- 
span’s  legitimate  son,  had  a better  right  than  himself  to 
make  the  necessary  arrangements,  and  might  conceivably 
resent  his  presence  at  Bourbon,  the  Comte  de  Toulouse 
decided  to  turn  back,  and  went  to  shut  himself  up  with 
his  grief  at  Rambouillet.  Though  prompted  by  the  best 
motives,  this  was  an  unfortunate  decision,  for,  had  he 
continued  his  journey,  he  would  probably  have  been  in 
time  to  avert  a most  painful  scandal. 

No  sooner  had  Madame  de  Montespan  breathed  her 
last,  than  the  worthy  d’Antin,  disappointed  in  his  search 
for  a will,  which,  it  would  appear,  had  been  his  main 
object  in  hastening  to  the  marchioness’s  death-bed, 
started  for  Paris,  to  continue  his  investigations  there, 
leaving  his  mother’s  remains  to  the  care  of  servants, 
for  Madame  de  Coeuvres  had  been  so  overcome  by  her 
feelings  that  she  had  been  unable  to  remain  in  the 
house.  The  dead  woman  had  left  instructions  that  her 
heart  was  to  be  sent  to  the  Convent  of  La  Fleche  ; “ and 
her  body,”  says  Saint-Simon,  “ became  the  prey  of  the 
ignorant  surgeon  of  some  intendant  from  I know  not 
where,  who  happened  to  be  at  Bourbon,  and  who  essayed 
to  open  it,  without  knowing  how  to  set  about  it.” 3 

1 The  Due  du  Maine  was  at  Sceaux. 

2 Journal  de  Dangeau,  xi.  377. 

3 Saint-Simon,  Notes  sur  Journal  de  Dangeau. 

358 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


Then,  when  he  had  at  length  blundered  through  his 
task,  and  the  moment  came  for  the  body  to  be  carried 
to  the  neighbouring  church,  whence  it  was  to  be  conveyed 
to  Poitiers  for  interment  in  the  family  tomb  in  that 
town,  the  coffin  was  allowed  to  remain  for  a considerable 
time  at  the  door  of  the  house,  while  the  priests  and 
canons  who  were  to  bear  it  wrangled  about  a point  of 
precedence.  The  meanest  peasant  would  have  been 
treated  with  more  respect  than  was  the  once  dazzling 
mistress  of  le  Grand  Monarque. 

The  death  of  the  woman  who,  for  more  than  thirty 
years,  had  played  so  great  a part  at  the  Court,  caused  but 
very  slight  impression  there.  Louis  XIV.  received  the 
news  with  the  most  profound  indifference.  Dangeau 
writes  in  his  Journal: 

“ Saturday , May  28,  at  Marly.  Before  the  King  started 
for  the  chase,  news  arrived  that  Madame  de  Montespan 
died  yesterday  at  Bourbon,  at  three  o’clock  in  the 
morning.  . . . The  King,  after  hunting  a stag,  pro- 
menaded in  the  gardens  till  midnight.”  1 

According  to  Saint-Simon,  the  young  Duchesse  de 
Bourgogne,  the  only  member  of  the  Royal  Family  who 
dared  to  speak  her  mind  before  the  King,  reproached 
Louis  with  his  insensibility,  whereupon  the  monarch 
replied  that  when  Madame  de  Montespan  quitted  the 
Court,  he  had  counted  upon  never  seeing  her  again, 
and  that  from  that  moment  she  was  dead  to  him.” 2 
Historians  have  often  referred  to  this  speech  as  a proof 
of  Louis’s  egotism  and  heartlessness  ; but  to  day,  when, 

1 'Journal  de  Dangeau,  xi.  378. 

2 According  to  Saint-Simon,  Louis  XIV.  made  much  the  same 
remark  on  hearing  of  the  death  of  Louise  de  La  Valliire  three  years 
later. 


359 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


thanks  to  the  researches  of  M.  Ravaisson,  we  are  better 
able  to  understand  his  feelings,  it  can  occasion  but  little 
surprise. 

As  for  Madame  de  Montespan’s  children,  the  Due  du 
Maine,  like  the  estimable  d’Antin,  welcomed  his  mother’s 
death  as  the  removal  of  an  impediment  to  his  fortunes  ; 
but  his  brother  and  sisters,  though  peremptorily  for- 
bidden by  Louis  to  wear  mourning,1  made  no  attempt 
to  conceal  their  grief,  a circumstance  which  does  them 
much  honour. 

And  Madame  de  Maintenon  ? 

Madame  de  Maintenon,  to  whom  every  one  thought 
the  event  would  come  as  a relief,  shed  bitter  tears ! 
Her  admirers  see  in  this  a proof  of  her  exquisite  sensi- 
bility ; her  enemies  evidence  of  remorse.  We  prefer  to 
express  no  opinion  on  the  matter. 

What  can  be  said  for  Madame  de  Montespan — for 
this  woman  who  was  for  twelve  years  the  left-hand 
consort  of  the  greatest  monarch  of  his  age,  with  the 
consequence  that  her  blood  runs  to-day  in  the  veins 
of  half  the  Royal  Houses  in  Europe  ? We  might  say 
that  she  was  the  patroness  of  artists  and  men  of  letters  ; 
that  she  founded  and  enriched  hospitals  and  convents  ; 
that  no  good  cause  ever  appealed  to  her  in  vain  ; that 
she  was  a devoted  mother,  an  affectionate  sister,  a warm 
friend.  But  what  would  that  avail  ? Remembering  such 
things,  it  is  conceivable  that  some  might  be  found  to 


1 Probably  because  Madame  de  Montespan  had  never  been  officially 
recognised  as  their  mother.  The  letters  of  legitimation,  it  will  be 
remembered,  did  not  mention  her  name.  The  Princesse  de  Conti 
wore  mourning  for  Louise  de  La  Valli^re,  but  La  Valli^re  had  been 
officially  recognised. 


360 


MADAME  DE  MONTESPAN 


overlook  her  infidelity  to  her  husband,  her  treachery  to 
her  Queen,  her  insolent  defiance  of  the  precepts  of 
religion  and  morality,  the  cruel  humiliations  she  inflicted 
on  Louise  de  La  Valliere,  her  vindictiveness  towards 
Lauzun,  her  spoliation  of  la  Grande  Mademoiselle , her 
prodigality,  her  arrogance,  her  ambition  ! But  who  can 
pardon  that  long  connection  with  the  most  atrocious 
wretches  in  all  the  annals  of  crime  ? Who  can  pardon 
those  unspeakable  abominations — abominations  which 
we  have  only  dared  to  hint  at  in  these  pages— which 
took  place  in  the  gloomy  chateau  at  Mesnil,  in  the 
tumbledown  hut  at  Saint-Denis,  in  the  unknown  house 
in  Paris,  in  the  den  of  La  Voisin  ? 

The  best,  we  think,  that  can  be  said  for  Madame  de 
Montespan  is,  that  if  her  sins  were  grievous,  her  ex- 
piation was  grievous  too  ; that  her  repentance  was  no 
death-bed  one,  but  one  that  extended  over  long,  weary 
years;  that,  after  spending  a considerable  portion  of  her 
life  in  acquiring  an  infamous  celebrity,  she  spent  the 
latter  part  in  an  honest  endeavour  to  make  atonement, 
and  that  in  so  doing  she  gave  cause  to  hundreds  to  bless 
her  name. 


361 


INDEX 


Albret,  Marshal  d’,  177 
Alluye,  Marquise  d’,  251,  256 
Amphitryon,  Moliere’s,  57 
Anne  of  Austria 

regards  Louis  XIV.’s  attachment 
to  Olympe  Mancini  with  com- 
plaisance, 4 ; rebukes  the  King 
openly  for  his  attentions  to  Made- 
moiselle de  La  Motted’Argencourt, 
5 ; warns  him  that  “ he  is  wander- 
ing from  the  path  of  innocence,” 
5 ; sends  Mademoiselle  de  La 
Motte  d’Argencourt  to  a convent, 
5 ; strongly  opposed  to  the  King’s 
projected  marriage  with  Marie 
Mancini,  n ; avoided  by  the  King, 
13 ; supports  the  Princess  Pala- 
tine’s claim  to  wear  a train  to  her 
dress,  20 ; tries  to  induce  the 
King  to  break  off  his  connection 
with  Louise  de  La  Valliere,  28, 29 ; 
persuades  him  to  conceal  his 
intrigue  from  the  Queen,  29 ; 
undeceives  him  in  regard  to 
Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte  Hou- 
dancourt,  33 ; inspires  him  with 
an  almost  superstitious  reverence 
for  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of 
the  Church,  150;  her  excessive 
partiality  for  perfumes,  230  note 
Anselme,  Abb6,  319 
Antin,  Due  d’ 

Madame  de  Montespan’s  son  by 
the  Marquis  de  Montespan,  4 
note ; his  marriage  with  Made- 
moiselle d’Uzes,  3x9;  his  boy- 
hood, 319 ; determined  to  push 
his  fortunes  at  Court,  319 ; ap- 
pointed mtnin  to  the  Dauphin,  320; 
his  mother  “ occupies  herself  with 
enriching  him,”  337;  his  un- 
amiable character,  338;  his  success 
at  play,  338  note ; rebuffed  by  the 
King,  3391  his  servility  towards 


Antin,  Due  d* — continued 

Louis  XIV.  and  Madame  de 
Maintenon,  339 ; his  heartless 
conduct  at  his  mother’s  death,  358 
Antin,  Marquis  d'  (father  of  the 
Marquis  de  Montespan),  41,  42,  59 
Apologie  de  Marie  Mancini,  the,  7 
Aquin,  d’  (first  physician  to  the  King), 
270 

Archives  de  la  Bastille,  M,  Ravaisson's, 
210  note 

Arnauld,  Antoine  (cited),  163 
Arnauld,  Henri,  Bishop  of  Angers,  349 
Atys,  Quinault  and  Lulli’s  opera  of, 
179  and  note 
Aubert,  Nanon,  290 
Aubigne,  Charles  d’  (brother  of 
Madame  de  Maintenon),  177,  232, 
298  note,  306,  308 

Aubigne,  Constant  d’  (father  of 
Madame  de  Maintenon),  88  and 
note,  308 

Aubigne,  Franfoised’:  see  Maintenon, 
Madame  de 

Aubigne,  Madame  d’  (mother  of 
Madame  de  Maintenon),  88,  89,  90 
Aubigne,  Theodore  Agrippa  d’ 
(grandfather  of  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon), 88 

Aubrey,  John  (cited),  223  note 
Aumale,  Mademoiselle  d’  (cited),  174, 
298  and  note 

Baden,  Princess  of,  48,  49,  56 
Bazin  de  Bezons,  242  and  note,  243, 
260,  263  note,  287,  295 
Beaufort,  Due  de,  75  and  note 
Beauvais,  Madame  de,  5,  6 and  note 
Bellefonds,  Judith  de,  107 
Bellefonds,  Marechal  de 

endeavours  to  persuade  Louise  de 
La  Valliere  to  return  from  the 
convent  at  Chaillot,  78  and  note, 
79  ; arranges  for  her  admission  to 


363 


INDEX 


Bellefonds,  Marshal  de — continued 
the  Carmelites,  107;  advises  her 
to  consult  Bossuet,  108  ; Bossuet’s 
letters  to  him,  109,  111,  155 
Bellegarde,  Due  de,  341  note 
Benserade  (poet),  43,  334 
Bertrand  (poisoner) 

his  interrogatory,  262;  his  de- 
positions, by  the  King’s  orders, 
withheld  from  the  Chambre  Ar- 
dente,  262;  undertakes,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  Romani,  the  poisoning 
of  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges, 
276,  277  ; condemned  to  perpetual 
imprisonment,  288 

Beuil,  Jacqueline  de  (mistress  of 
Henri  IV.),  36  note,  98 
Bingham,  Hon.  D.  A.  (cited),  101 
" Black  Mass,”  the,  241  and  note, 
263, 268,  269,  271,273,279,285  note 
Blois,  Mademoiselle  de 

youngest  daughter  of  Louis  XIV. 
and  Madame  de  Montespan,  68 
note ; her  birth,  188  and  note ; 
Madame  de  Maintenon  declines 
to  take  charge  of  her,  188  and 
note ; nursed  by  Madame  de 
Montespan  through  an  attack  of 
small-pox,  320  ; much  attached  to 
her  mother,  322  ; marries  the  Due 
de  Chartres,  328  note  ; unhappy  in 
her  married  life,  337  ; her  grief  at 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  death, 
360 

Boileau,  Abb6,  216  note 
Boileau-Despreaux 

shares  the  post  of  Royal  His- 
toriographer with  Racine,  216; 
reads  fragments  of  his  contempo- 
rary history  to  Louis  XIV.  and 
Madame  de  Montespan,  216,  217; 
writes  an  eloge  of  the  King  for 
a book  presented  by  Madame  de 
Montespan  to  Louis  XIV.,  315  ; 
on  intimate  terms  with  the  Due  de 
Vivonne,  336 

Bontemps  (confidential  valet  - de  - 
chambre  to  Louis  XIV.),  130,  308 
Bosse,  Marie  (sorceress  and  poisoner) 
her  boast  at  La  Vigoureux’s 
dinner-party,  237  ; falls  into  a trap 
set  by  the  police,  238  ; arrested, 
238 ; assists  Madame  Philbert  to 
poison  her  first  husband,  246 ; 
consulted  by  Madame  de  Pou- 
laillon,  247,  248 
Bossuet 

wrongly  accused  of  ambition  and 
sycophancy,  108  and  note ; Nicolas 


Bossuet — continued 

Colbert’s  opinion  of  him,  108  note; 
his  influence  in  the  confessional, 
108,  109;  confirms  La  Valliere  in 
her  resolve  to  enter  the  Carmelites, 
109  ; interviews  Madame  de  Mon- 
tespan on  her  behalf,  109 ; assists 
her  in  the  composition  of  her 
Reflexions  sur  la  misiricorde  de  Dieu, 
109  note ; his  letter  to  Marechal 
de  Bellefonds,  hi,  112;  his 
sermon  on  the  occasion  of  La 
Valliere  taking  the  veil,  146-148; 
justifies  the  Abbe  Lecuyer's  re- 
fusal of  absolution  to  Madame  de 
Montespan,  150;  persuades  Louis 
XIV.  to  separate  from  Madame 
de  Montespan,  151 ; his  stormy 
interview  with  the  marchioness, 
151,  152 ; prevails  upon  her  to 
break  off  her  connection  with  the 
King,  152  ; confirms  Louis  XIV. 
in  his  virtuous  resolutions,  152, 
153 ; his  letter  to  Bellefonds,  155  ; 
his  remarkable  letter  to  the  King, 
I55“I59:  declines  to  sanction 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  return  to 
Court,  162 ; his  meeting  with 
Louis  XIV.  at  Luzarches,  163, 
164;  his  exaggerated  view  of  the 
evils  of  the  King's  incontinence, 
171  ; sent  by  Madame  de  Monte- 
span to  inform  the  King  of  her 
determination  to  retire  from  Court, 
324 

Bouberault,  Mathurin  (sculptor), 
338  note 

Boucherat,  Louis  (President  of  the 
Chambre  Ardente),  242,  260 
Bourbon,  Ducde  (M.  le  Due),  318,  319 
Bourbon,  Duchesse  de  ( Madame  la 
Duchesse) : see  Nantes,  Mademoiselle 
de 

Bourbon,  Mademoiselle  de,  341 
Bourbon-Charolais,  Mademoiselle  de 
(Duchesse  du  Maine),  336 
Bourdaloue,  Pere 

his  outspoken  sermons,  151,  152; 
his  remark  to  the  King  at  the  time 
of  Madame  de  Montespan's  dis- 
missal from  Court,  154 ; declines 
the  direction  of  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon’s  conscience,  167  note;  his 
opinion  of  fashionable  ladies'  con- 
fessors, 167  note ; denounces 
gambling,  206 
Bourgogne,  Due  de,  303 
Bourgogne,  Duchesse  de,  359 
Bouyn  (financier),  210  and  note 


364 


INDEX 


Bretonvilliers,  Madame  de,  163  note 
Brinon,  Madame  de,  306,  329  and  note 
Brinvilliers,  Madame  de  (poisoner), 
236,  237,  244  note 
Brulart,  President,  187 
Brunet,  poisoned  by  his  wife,  245,  246 
Buffon  (cited),  356,  357 
Bussy-Rabutin,  7 note,  153,  155,  164, 
210,  224,  248  note 

(cited)  12  note,  75,  81,  155,  187, 
222,  225,  230 

Castelmelhor,  Count,  237  note 
Caylus,  Madame  de,  232, 293, 313  note 
(cited)  58,  92,  149,  164,  165,  232, 
299.  3°3.  305.  3!6.  3r9<  32i  note, 
334.  335s  337 
Cesar,  Pere,  223 
Chambre  Ardente,  the 

its  composition,  242  and  note  ; 
origin  of  the  name,  243  ; its  pro- 
cedure, 243,  244 ; its  sittings 

suspended  by  royal  edict,  263 ; 
resumes  its  investigations,  286 ; 
dissolved,  288 
Champy,  Pere  (Jesuit),  202 
Charles  II.,  King  of  England,  17,  126 
and  note,  237  note,  284 
Charles  IV.,  Dukeof  Lorraine,  186, 187 
Charles  Emmanuel  II.,  Duke  of 
Savoy,  237  and  note 
Chartres,  Due  de,  328  and  note,  337 
Chartres,  Duchesse  de : sec  Blois, 
Mademoiselle  de 
Chatillon,  Duchesse  de,  6 
Chauvelin  (Intendant  of  Franche- 
Comt£),  289  note 

Chevreuse,  Duchesse  de,  161, 197  note 
Choisy,  Abbe  de  (cited),  27,  125  note, 
i37.  307.  3i8>  35L  352 
Christina,  Queen  of  Sweden,  4 
Clagny,  Chateau  of,  1 20-123,  153, 
154,  159.  161,  162,  2ox,  203,  271, 
346  and  note 

Clement,  M.  Pierre  (cited),  108,  112, 
298  note,  332  note 
Clermont-Lodeve,  Comte  de,  251 
Coeuvres,  Marechale  de,  356,  358 
Colbert,  Jean  Baptiste 

correspondence  between  him  and 
Louis  XIV.  relative  to  the  Marquis 
de  Montespan,  70-72  ; persuades 
Louise  de  La  Valliere  to  return 
from  the  convent  at  Chaillot,  79  ; 
instructions  he  receives  from  the 
King  in  regard  to  a casket  of 
jewellery  for  Madame  de  Mon- 
tespan, 1 1 9 ; and  to  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Chateau  of  Clagny,  120, 


Colbert,  Jean  Baptiste — continued. 

121  ; correspondence  with  the 
King  on  the  subject  of  Madame 
de  Montespan,  after  her  dismissal 
from  Court  in  1675,  160-162  ; ad- 
vises the  King  not  to  bring  Madame 
de  Montespan  or  her  accomplices 
to  trial,  285  ; marries  his  daugh- 
ter to  Madame  de  Montespan’s 
nephew,  the  Due  de  Mortemart, 
285  and  note ; commissions  Maitre 
Duplessis  to  draw  upamemorial  to 
establish  the  innocence  of  Madame 
de  Montespan,  285  note  ; opposed 
to  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes,  310 

Colbert,  Madame,  34  note,  161 
Colbert,  Nicolas,  Bishop  of  Lu$on 
(cited),  108  note 

Colbert  de  Saint-Pouange,  198,  210 
Colbert  de  Villacerf  (mattre  d'hdtel 
to  the  Queen),  49,  200,  201 
Coligny,  Madame  de,  248  note 
Colonna,  Constable  (husband  of  Marie 
Mancini),  16,  17 

Conde,  Prince  de,  127  note,  318,  321 
note 

Conti,  Princesse  de  (daughter  of 
Louis  XIV.  and  Louise  de  La 
Valliere),  34-36,  105,  360  note 
Corneille,  Pierre  (poet),  215 
Cornuel,  Madame  (cited),  125  note 
Cousserans,  Comte  de,  240  note 
Crequi,  Marechal  de,  253 
Couvent  des  Filles  de  Saint-Joseph, 
323  and  note,  324,  355 

Dangeao,  Marquis  de,  207,  208  and 
note,  312,  325  note 

(cited)  313,  317,321.325,  359 
Delagrange  (sorceress  and  poisoner), 
259 

Desgrez  (detective),  237,  238 
Deshoulieres,  Mademoiselle,  198  note 
Desjardins,  Mademoiselle  (authoress), 
279 

Desmarets  (poet),  34  note 
Des  CEillets,  Mademoiselle 

confidential  femme-de-chamlm  of 
Madame  de  Montespan,  268 ; in- 
termediary between  her  mistress 
and  La  Voisin,  268;  present  at 
the  "black  mass"  said  over 
Madame  de  Montespan  at  Mesnil, 
269 ; fetches  " love-powders  ” from 
La  Voisin’s  house,  271 ; and  the 
English  "mylord,  ” 273;  seeks  a 
charm  to  cause  the  death  of 
Louis  XIV.,  274 ; boasts  that  the 


INDEX 


Des  CEillets,  Mademoiselle — contd. 
King  will  not  allow  her  to  be 
arrested,  279  ; privately  examined 
by  Louvois,  280;  demands  to  be 
confronted  with  her  accusers,  281 ; 
recognised  by  them,  282 ; dies  in 
prison,  289 

Dorat,  Abbe  (cited),  321 
Dreux,  Madame  de,  her  trial  before 
the  Chambre  Ardente,  249,  250 
Du  Parc,  Mademoiselle  (actress), 
257-259 

Duplessis,  Maitre  (advocate),  285  note, 
295 

Essarts,  Charlotte  des,  36  note 
Either,  Racine’s,  218  and  note 
Estrees,  Gabrielle  d’,  36  note,  98,  101 
note 

Eugene  of  Savoy,  Prince,  4 

Fagon,  Guy  Crescent  (physician), 
193  and  note,  304 

Fanchon  (proUgte  of  Madame  de 
Montespan),  340  and  note 
Fauchet  (architect),  240 
Feuquieres,  Marquis  de,  210,  251 
Fieubet,  Gaspard  de,  242  note,  320 
Filastre,  Fran£oise  (sorceress  and 
poisoner) 

one  of  the  most  dangerous  sor- 
ceresses in  Paris,  242 ; confirms, 
under  torture,  the  declarations  of 
Lesage,  263 ; consulted  by  Madame 
de  Montespan,  272 ; goes  to  Nor- 
mandy to  procure  "fine  secrets 
for  love  ” from  Louis  Galet,  278  ; 
her  confessions,  by  the  King’s 
orders,  withheld  from  the  know- 
ledge of  the  Chambre  Ardente,  286 
Flechier,  Bishop  of  Nimes  (cited), 
198  note 

Floquet,  M.  (cited),  153  and  note,  163 
Fontanges,  Mademoiselle  de 

her  remark  to  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon,  154 ; “ very  pretty,  but 
without  any  intelligence,”  221  ; 
her  dream,  221 ; mistress  of  the 
King,  222 ; her  favour,  at  first 
secret,  becomes  public,  225 ; her 
arrogance  and  ostentation,  225 ; 
created  duchess,  225  ; flattered  by 
La  Fontaine,  226  and  note  ; gives 
magnificent  New  Year’s  gifts  to 
Madame  de  Montespan  and  her 
children,  226  ; her  attraction  for 
Louis  XIV.  purely  physical,  228  ; 
gives  birth  to  a child,  228 ; falls 
ill  and  loses  her  beauty,  228 ; and, 


Fontanges,  Mademoiselle  de  — con- 
tinued 

with  it,  the  King’s  affection,  229  ; 
goes  to  visit  her  sister  at  Chelles, 
233  ; treated  with  indifference  by 
the  King  on  her  return,  234 ; 
retires  from  Court,  291 ; her  death. 
292  ; suspicions  of  poisoning,  293  ; 
Louis  XIV.  attempts  to  prevent 
an  autopsy  being  held,  292,  293 ; 
her  obsequies,  293,  294 
Fontevrault,  Abbess  of : see  Roche- 
chouart-Mortemart,  Marie  Made- 
leine Gabrielle 
Foulon,  Pierre  (painter),  338 
Fouquet,  Madame,  182 
Fouquet,  Nicolas,  37,  47,  182 
Funck-Brentano,  M.  (cited),  240,  244, 
258,  285,  290 

Galet,  Louis  (sorcerer  and  poisoner), 
272,  278 

Gaudion  (clerk  to  the  Chatelet),  291 
Gazette  de  France,  the  (cited),  23  note, 
24,  223  note 

Geffroy,  M.  (cited),  86  note 
Gobelin,  Abbe  (Madame  de  Main- 
tenon’s  confessor),  167,  168,  169, 
172  note,  176,  190,  221,  304,  307 
Gondrin,  Henri  Pardaillan  de,  Arch- 
bishop of  Sens  (uncle  of  the 
Marquis  de  Montespan),  59,  60,  71, 
269 

Gondrin,  Marquis  de  (grandson  of 
Madame  de  Montespan),  338 
Gonzague,  Anne  de : see  Palatine, 
Princess 

Gouffier,  Claude  de,  337  note 
Gouffier,  Guillaume  de,  337  note 
Gramont,  Catherine  Charlotte  de : 
see  Monaco,  Princesse  de 
Gramont,  Philibert  de,  32 
Grignan,  Madame  de,  186,  336 
Guibourg,  Abbe 

his  portrait,  241 ; celebrates 
"black  masses"  in  the  cellar  of 
a house  near  the  Invalides,  263 ; 
celebrates  “ black  masses  ' ’ over 
Madame  de  Montespan,  269,  272  ; 
says  a messe  seche  on  behalf  of 
Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets  and 
an  English  " mylord,"  273,  274; 
"loaded  with  accusations  of 
crimes  against  God  and  the  King," 
288  : dies  in  prison,  290 
Guillaume,  Andre  (executioner),  240 
note 

Guise,  Mademoiselle  de,  314  and 
note 

3 66 


INDEX 


Hamilton,  Antoine  (cited),  31,  32 
Harcourt,  Princesse  d’,  220 
Harlay,  Achille  de  (procureur-giniral) , 
69 

Harlay  de  Champvallon,  Archbishop 
of  Paris,  163  and  note,  313  note, 
341  note 

Hautefeuille,  Madame  de,  112 
Henri  IV.,  King  of  France,  36  note, 
98,  101  and  note 

Henrietta  of  England : see  Orleans, 
Duchesse  d' 

Heudicourt,  Madame  d’,  84,  85 
Hopital  des  Vieillards  (Saint-Ger- 
main-en-Laye),  the,  211,  212 
Huet,  Daniel,  Bishop  of  Avranches 
his  learning  and  amiable  cha- 
racter, 343 ; maintains  the  ad- 
vantage of  correspondence  over 
conversation,  343 ; his  corre- 
spondence with  Madame  de 
Montespan,  345-349 ; does  not 
mention  the  marchioness  in  his 
M (moires,  350 

Innocent  XI.,  Pope,  301  note 

Jallier,  Noel  (painter),  338  note 
Joly,  La  (sorceress  and  poisoner) 
employed  by  Madame  de  Dreux, 
250  ; arrested,  250  ; hints  at  deal- 
ings with  Madame  de  Montespan, 
287  ; the  King’s  orders  in  regard 
to  her  evidence,  287 ; tortured 
and  executed,  287 

La  BAS,  M.  Huysmans’,  210  note 
Labatie,  Comte  de,  240  note 
La  Beaumelle,  96  note,  282  note 
La  Bruyere  (cited),  144,  315 
La  Chaboissiere  ( valet-de-chambre  to 
Louis  de  Vanens),  266 
La  Chaise,  Pere  de  (Louis  XIV. ’s 
confessor) 

excuses  himself  from  expressing 
an  opinion  on  the  question  of  the 
refusal  of  absolution  to  Madame 
de  Montespan,  150  note  j accom- 
panies the  King  to  Flanders  “ to 
give  him  heart  against  heart," 
162  ; consults  the  Archbishop  of 
Paris  as  to  whether  Madame  de 
Montespan  may  be  permitted  to 
return  to  Court,  163  ; his  diplo- 
matic illness,  202  ; visits  Madame 
de  Maintenon.  231  ; says  mass  at 
her  marriage  with  Louis  XIV.,  308 
La  Cropte-Beauvais,  Mademoiselle 
de,  22i  and  note 


La  Fare,  Marquis  de  (cited),  128, 135, 
138,  139  note 

La  Fayette,  Madame  de  (cited),  25,  41 
La  Fert6,  Mar^chale  de,  99,  251 
La  Feuillade,  Due  de,  337  note 
La  Fontaine  (poet) 

patronised  by  Madame  de  Monte- 
span, 216 ; dedicates  his  second 
collection  of  fables  to  her,  217; 
presented  by  her  to  the  King,  217  ; 
calls  the  Due  du  Maine  " the  son 
of  Jupiter,”  217;  transfers  his 
allegiance  to  Mademoiselle  de 
Fontanges,  218  ; addresses  to  her 
a flattering  “ Epistle,”  226  and 
note ; his  verses  on  La  Voisin, 
239  and  note  ; his  advances  re- 
jected by  Mademoiselle  du  Parc, 
257  note ; praises  the  beauty 
of  Madame  de  Thianges  in  Le 
Florentin,  334 

Lair,  M.  Jules  (cited),  51,  58,74,75, 100 
Lamartine  (cited),  307 
La  Motte  d'Argencourt,  Mademoi- 
selle 

loved  by  the  King,  4,  5 ; declines 
to  entertain  his  proposals,  5 ; sent 
to  a convent,  5 

La  Motte-Houdancourt,  Mademoi- 
selle de  (fillc  d'honneur  to  Maria 
Theresa) 

brought  forward  by  the  Comtesse 
de  Soissons  as  a rival  to  La  Val- 
liere,  31  ; the  King  falls  in  love 
with  her,  32  ; complains  to  him  of 
the  attentions  of  the  Chevalier  de 
Gramont,  32  ; demands  the  dis- 
missal of  La  Valliere  as  the  price 
of  her  surrender,  32  ; her  schemes 
discovered  by  Anne  of  Austria,  33  ; 
dismissed  from  the  Queen’s  ser- 
vice, 33 

La  Muse  historique , 39  and  note 
Langle<5,  116  note,  207,  210,  328 
Languet  de  Gergy  (cited),  173 
La  Reynie,  Gabriel  Nicolas  (Lieu- 
tenant of  Police) 

his  character,  236 ; causes  the 
arrest  of  Louis  de  Vanens,  236  ; 
one  of  the  examining -commis- 
sioners of  the  Chambre  Ardente, 
242  ; his  passage  of  arms  with 
the  Duchesse  de  Bouillon  at  her 
trial,  255  ; ordered  by  the  King 
to  withhold  the  depositions  of 
Marguerite  Monvoisin,  Romani, 
and  Bertrand  from  the  Chambre 
Ardente,  263;  demands  that  Made- 
moiselle des  GEillets  should  be 


367 


INDEX 


La  Reynie,  Gabriel  Nicolas  (Lieu- 
tenant of  Police) — continued 
confronted  with  her  accusers,  280  ; 
frustrates  Madame  de  Montespan’s 
attempt  to  tamper  with  the  pri- 
soners at  Vincennes,  281,  282  ; 
persuades  the  King  to  allow  the 
Chambre  Ardente  to  resume  its 
investigations,  286  ; pleads  in  vain 
for  Madame  de  Montespan’s  ac- 
complices to  be  brought  to  trial, 
287,  288 ; advises  the  King  to 
dissolve  the  Chambre  Ardente, 
288  ; and  to  imprison  the  mar- 
chioness's accomplices  for  the 
rest  of  their  lives,  288 
(cited)  238,  267,  273,  288 
Larroumet,  M.  Gustave  (cited),  216, 
258 

La  Riviere,  " Marquis  ’’  de,  247,  249 
note 

La  Rochefoucauld,  Francis  VI.,  Due 
de,  author  of  the  Maximes  (cited), 160 
La  Rochefoucauld,  Framjois  VII., 
Due  de,  304 
La  Tour,  Pere  de,  354 
Lauzun,  Comte  de 

takes  the  infant  Due  du  Maine 
from  Saint-Germain  to  Paris,  68, 
69  ; sent  by  Louis  XIV.  to  fetch 
La  Valliere  from  the  convent  at 
Chaillot,  78  ; the  object  of  a. grande 
passion  on  the  part  of  Mademoiselle, 
128  ; his  portrait  by  Saint-Simon, 
128  note ; prevents  a rendezvous 
between  Louis  XIV.  and  the 
Princesse  de  Monaco,  129,  130  ; 
incurs  the  enmity  of  Madame  de 
Montespan,  130-132;  his  insolence 
to  Louis  XIV.,  132  note  ; sent  to 
the  Bastille,  132  note  ; his  diplo- 
matic courtship  of  Mademoiselle, 
133,  T34  ; persuades  her  to  make 
a donation  in  his  favour  of  the 
bulk  of  her  property,  134 ; “intoxi- 
cated with  vanity,’’  135  ; rupture 
of  his  marriage  with  Mademoiselle, 
136-138;  arrested  and  sent  to 
Pignerol,  138  ; his  rigorous  im- 
prisonment, 139, 140  ; his  freedom 
procured  by  Mademoiselle,  by  the 
settlement  of  part  of  her  property 
on  the  Due  du  Maine,  140-143  ; 
his  interviews  with  Madame  de 
Montespan  at  Bourbon,  143  ; for- 
bidden to  approach  the  Court, 
143  ; his  subsequent  career,  144 
La  Vallde,  M.  (cited),  86  note,  197 
note,  299,  308  note,  329  note 


La  Valliere,  Louise  de 

selected  by  Madame  as  the  object 
of  Louis  XIV. ’s  simulated  devo- 
tion, 26  ; her  parentage,  26  note  ; 
her  contemporaries  unanimous  in 
her  praise,  27,  28  ; disinterested- 
ness of  her  affection  for  Louis 
XIV.,  28;  becomes  mistress  of 
the  King,  28  ; her  remorse,  29  ; 
takes  refuge  in  a convent  at  Chail- 
lot, 29  ; brought  back  by  the  King, 
30  ; the  Comtesse  de  Soissons  in- 
trigues against  her,  30,  31  ; her 
despair  at  the  King’s  passion  for 
Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte-Hou- 
dancourt,  32  ; her  dismissal  de- 
manded by  that  lady  as  the  price 
of  her  surrender,  32 ; becomes 
maitresse  ddclaree,  33  ; created  a 
duchess  and  her  daughter  legiti- 
mated, 34-36  and  note  ; deceived 
by  Madame  de  Montespan,  45  ; 
ordered  by  the  Queen  to  retire  to 
her  estates,  46  ; follows  the  Court 
to  Avesnes,  in  defiance  of  the 
Queen's  commands,  47-49;  reaches 
the  King  before  the  Queen,  50  ; 
goes  to  confession  with  Madame  de 
Montespan,  51  ; returns  to  Paris, 
52  note  ; gives  birth  to  the  Comte 
de  Vermandois,  56,  57  and  note  ; 
secret  of  her  ascendency  over 
Louis  XIV.,  66  ; her  singular 
conduct  after  being  supplanted  by 
Madame  de  Montespan,  73,  74  ; 
probable  explanation,  74,  75  ; “a 
cloak  for  the  King’s  relations  with 
Madame  de  Montespan,”  75,  76  ; 
cruelly  humiliated  by  her  trium- 
phant rival,  77  ; flies  to  the  Cou- 
vent  de  Sainte-Marie  at  Chaillot, 
77 ; refuses  to  return,  78  ; her 
message  to  the  King,  78,  79 ; 
brought  back  by  Colbert,  79 ; 
her  conduct  condemned  by  the 
ladies  of  the  Court,  80,  81  ; com- 
pelled to  accompany  the  Court  to 
Flanders,  81  ; falls  seriously  ill, 
104  ; on  her  recovery,  resolves  to 
take  the  veil,  105  ; visits  the  Car- 
melite convent  in  the  Rue  Saint- 
Jacques,  106,  107 ; arranges  to 
enter  that  community,  107;  applies 
to  Bossuet  to  overcome  the  objec- 
tions of  the  King  and  Madame  de 
Montespan,  108,  109  ; assisted  by 
him  in  the  composition  of  her 
Reflexions  sur  la  misiricorde  de  Dieu, 
109  note ; her  answer  to  Madame 


368 


INDEX 


La  Valliere,  Louise  de — continued 
Scarron’s  attempt  to  dissuade  her 
from  entering  the  Carmelites,  no  ; 
obtains  the  King’s  consent,  iii  ; 
“breathes  nothing  save  penitence,  ” 
iii  ; her  farewell  of  the  world, 
112-114;  takes  the  veil,  145-148; 
visited  by  the  Queen  and  Madame 
de  Montespan,  180 ; her  conver- 
sation with  the  latter,  181  ; Louis 
XIV. ’s  remark  on  learning  of  her 
death,  359  note 
Ldcuyer,  Abbd,  149 
Le  Dieu,  Abb6  ; (cited)  152,  153 
Le  Drame  des  Poisons , M.  Funck-Bren- 
tano’s,  241  note,  250,  251 
Les  Empoisonnements  sur  Louis  XIV., 
Dr.  Lucien  Nass’s,  239  note,  241 
note,  248  note 
Lefdron,  Madame 

her  trial  before  the  Chambre 
Ardente,  250,  251 
Leferon,  President,  250 
Le  Florentin,  La  Fontaine's,  334 
Le  Journal  de  la  santi  de  Louis  XIV., 
270 

Lenclos,  Ninon  de;  (cited)  86  and  note 
Le  Notre,  Andrd,  121  note,  122,  185 
Le  Peletier,  Michel,  Bishop  of 
Angers,  350 

Le  Ragois,  Abbd,  193  and  note 
Leroy,  269  and  note,  273  note 
Lesage  (magician) 

La  Voisin’s  principal  assistant, 
240 ; his  remarkable  talent  for 
jugglery,  240  ; employed  by  Mard- 
chal  de  Luxembourg,  252,  253  ; 
commissioned  by  the  Duchesse  de 
Bouillon  to  kill  her  husband  by 
magic,  255  ; his  confession,  con- 
firmed by  La  Filastre,  causes  the 
King  to  suspend  the  sittings  of 
the  Chambre  Ardente,  263  ; em- 
ployed by  Madame  de  Monte- 
span, 266,  267;  brought  before  the 
Chatelet  on  a charge  of  sorcery, 

267  ; condemned  to  the  galleys, 
but  soon  released,  268;  confronted 
with  Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets  at 
Vincennes,  281  ; condemned  to 
perpetual  imprisonment,  288 
L'Hopital,  Mar^chale  de,  116  note 
Lionne,  Hugues  de,  2 note,  10 
Loiseleur,  M.  Jules  (cited),  270,  273 
Longueville,  Due  de,  99  and  note, 

100 

Longueville,  Madame  de,  99,  146 
(cited)  56 

Louis  XIII.,  11,  120 

369 


Louis  XIV. 

character  of  his  relations  with 
women,  1-3  ; pernicious  influence 
exercised  over  him  by  his  mis- 
tresses, 3,  4 ; his  relations  with 
Olympe  Mancini,  4;  Mademoiselle 
de  La  Motte  d’Argencourt,  4,  5 ; 
and  Madame  de  Beauvais,  5,  6 
and  note  ; his  attentions  to  Marie 
Mancini,  7 ; negotiations  for  his 
marriage  with  the  Infanta  Maria 
Theresa,  8,  9 ; and  with  Margaret 
of  Savoy,  9 ; becomes  infatuated 
with  Marie  Mancini  and  determines 
to  marry  her,  10 ; his  resolution 
strongly  opposed  by  Anne  of 
Austria  and  Mazarin,  11  ; his 
affecting  parting  from  Marie 
Mancini  on  her  departure  for 
Brouage,  11, 12  ; declines  to  marry 
the  Infanta,  12  ; letter  of  remon- 
strance addressed  to  him  by 
Mazarin,  12-15  1 his  interview  with 
Marie  Mancini  at  Saint-Jean 
d'Angely,  15;  writes  her  "not 
letters,  but  volumes,”  15;  his 
mortification  at  her  conduct  in 
breaking  off  her  connection  with 
him,  15  ; declines  to  allow  her  to 
re-enter  France  after  her  flight 
from  the  Constable  Colonna,  17; 
gives  her  permission  to  return  to 
Court  after  her  husband’s  death, 
17  ; his  marriage  with  the  Infanta, 
19,  20 ; his  state  entry  into  Paris 
with  his  bride,  20-24  • finds  no 
pleasure  in  the  society  of  the 
Queen,  24;  his  attentions  to  his 
sister-in-law,  Henriettaof  England, 
25,  26 ; simulates  a passion  for 
Louise  de  La  Valliere,  27  ; falls  in 
love  with  her  and  makes  her  his 
mistress,  27,  28  ; fetches  her  back 
from  the  convent  at  Chaillot,  29, 
30  ; succumbs  to  the  fascinations 
of  Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte- 
Houdancourt,  31,  32;  and  exiles 
his  rival,  the  Chevalier  de  Gramont, 
32 ; undeceived  by  the  Queen- 
Mother  in  regard  to  Mademoiselle 
de  La  Motte-Houdancourt,  33 ; 
acknowledges  La  Valliere  as  his 
mistress,  33;  creates  her  a duchess 
and  legitimates  his  daughter  by 
her,  34-36  ; begins  to  pay  Madame 
de  Montespan  marked  attention, 
45  ; joins  the  army  in  Flanders, 
46 ; his  suspicious  behaviour  at 
Avesnes,  51 ; pays  a visit  to  Com- 

2 A 


INDEX 


Louis  XIV. — continued, 

pi6gne,  53  ; keeps  late  hours.  53  ; 
takes  the  Court  with  him  to 
Flanders,  54  ; has  a skirmish  with 
the  Spaniards,  54  ; disgraces 
Madame  d'Armagnac  and  the 
Princess  of  Baden,  56 ; change  in 
his  demeanour  towards  the  fair 
sex,  56;  causes  La  Valliere’s  son, 
the  Comte  de  Vermandois,  to  be 
taken  away  from  her,  56,  57 ; his 
intrigue  with  Madame  de  Monte- 
span  generally  suspected,  57  ; “ un 
portage  avec  Jupiier,"  57;  stormy 
interviews  with  the  Marquis  de 
Montespan,  59 ; his  quarrel  with 
the  Archbishop  of  Sens,  59,  60  ; 
causes  the  Marquis  de  Montespan 
to  be  imprisoned  in  For  l’Eveque, 
60 ; secret  of  the  ascendency  of 
La  Valliere  over  him,  66,  67 ; 
secret  of  that  of  Madame  de 
Montespan,  68  ; has  a daughter  j 
by  Madame  de  Montespan,  68 ; 
and  a son,  the  Due  du  Maine,  j 
68 ; list  of  his  children  by  the 
marchioness,  68  note ; causes 
Madame  de  Montespan  to  bring 
an  action  for  a separation  from 
her  husband  before  the  Chatelet, 

69 ; brings  pressure  to  bear  on 
the  judges  to  obtain  a verdict  in 
her  favour,  69  ; fears  the  vengeance 
of  the  marquis,  70 ; his  correspond- 
ence with  Colbert  in  regard  to 
him,  70-72  ; his  reasons  for  com- 
pelling Madame  de  La  Valliere  to 
remain  at  Court,  75,  76;  '‘Chez 
les  Dames,"  76;  his  harsh  treat- 
ment of  La  Valliere,  76,  77 ; his 
conduct  on  learning  of  her  flight 
to  the  Couvent  de  Sainte-Marie 
at  Chaillot,  77,  78  ; sends  Lanzun 
and  Marshal  de  Bellefonds  to 
bring  her  back,  78  ; her  message 
to  him,  78,  79 ; his  relief  at  her 
return,  80 ; compels  her  to  ac- 
company the  Court  to  Flanders, 

81 ; personally  requests  Madame 
Scarron  to  take  charge  of  his 
children  by  Madame  de  Monte- 
span, 92 ; his  early  antipathy  to 
Madame  Scarron  disappears  on  a 
closer  acquaintance,  95,  96 ; his 
visits  to  the  Rue  de  Vaugirard,  96 
and  note;  desirous  of  legitimating 
his  children,  97,  98  ; difficulties  in 
the  way  of  this  step,  98,  99  ; finds 
a convenient  precedent,  99,  100 ; 


Louis  XIV. — contimtea 

legitimates  his  children,  101 ; and 
brings  them  to  the  Court,  102  ; 
gives  permission  for  Madame  de 
La  Valliere  to  retire  to  the  Car- 
melites, hi;  sheds  tears  on  taking 
farewell  of  her,  112;  and  on  the 
morning  of  her  departure,  113; 
his  infatuation  for  Madame  de 
Montespan,  115-117;  dismisses 
the  Queen’s  filles  d'honneur  at  the 
favourite’s  request,  118  ; his  offer 
of  a present  of  jewellery  declined 
by  Madame  de  Montespan,  1 18 ; 
his  letter  to  Colbert  on  this  matter, 
1 19,  120;  builds  a little  pleasure- 
house  for  Madame  de  Montespan, 
120  ; has  it  pulled  down  and  con- 
structs the  Chateau  of  Clagny, 
120-123  ; heaps  favours  upon 
Madame  de  Montespan's  relatives 
and  children,  124,  125  note;  his 
rendezvous  with  the  Princesse  de 
Monaco  prevented  by  Lauzun, 
130  ; “the  finest  action  of  his  life,’ ’ 
132  note  ; gives  his  consent  to  the 
marriage  of  la  Grande  Mademoiselle 
and  Lauzun,  135  ; but  subsequently 
forbids  it,  137  ; his  painful  inter- 
view with  Mademoiselle,  137;  causes 
Lauzun  to  be  arrested  and  sent  to 
Pignerol , 138;  compels  Mademoiselle 
to  purchase  his  release  by  a con- 
veyance of  part  of  her  property  to 
the  Due  du  Maine,  143 ; refuses 
to  consent  to  their  marriage  or 
Lauzun 's  return  to  Court,  143, 
144 ; consults  Bossuet  in  regard 
to  the  Abb6  L6cuyer's  refusal  of 
absolution  to  Madame  de  Monte- 
span, 149,  150  ; his  respect  for 
religion,  150 ; moved  by  the  out- 
spoken sermons  of  Bourdaloue, 
150,  15 1 ; and  by  Bossuet ’s  repre- 
sentations, 151 ; orders  Madame  de 
Montespan  to  retire  from  Court, 
15 1 ; his  agony  of  mind  at  parting 
from  his  mistress,  152  ; warns  the 
Dauphin  to  avoid  “these  miserable 
entanglements,”  153  ; communi- 
cates at  Easter,  153  ; takes  what 
is  believed  to  be  a final  farewell  of 
Madame  de  Montespan,  153,  154  ; 
announces  that  all  is  at  an  end  be- 
tween them  and  sets  out  forFlanders, 
154 ; requests  Bossuet  to  write  to 
him,  155;  remarkable  letter  which  he 
receives  from  the  bishop,  1 55-159; 
communicates  “ avec  beaucoup  de 


INDEX 


Louis  XIV. — continued 

marques  de  piete,"  159;  his  letters 
to  Colbert  relating  to  Madame  de 
Montespan,  160-162  ; carries  on  a 
clandestine  correspondence  with 
the  marchioness,  162  ; endeavours 
to  persuade  Bossuet  to  consent  to 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  return 
to  Court,  162  ; finds  Pere  de  La 
Chaise  and  the  Archbishop  of 
Paris  more  complaisant,  163  and 
note;  refuses  to  listen  to  Bossuet’s 
remonstrances  at  Luzarches,  163  ; 
returns  to  Versailles  and  resumes 
his  former  relations  with  Madame 
de  Montespan,  164  ; his  conver- 
sion resolved  on  by  Madame  de 
Maintenon,  170-172  ; witness  of  a 
‘ ' terrible  scene  ’ ' between  Madame 
de  Montespan  and  Madame  de 
Maintenon,  175;  corresponds  with 
the  latter  during  her  visit  to  the 
Pyrenees,  178  ; receives  her  with 
marked  graciousness  on  her  return, 
179  ; pays  her  a pretty  compli- 
ment, 179  ; joins  the  army  in 
Flanders,  179;  affectionate  recep- 
tion of  Madame  de  Montespan  on 
his  return,  183  and  note ; in  love 
with  Madame  de  Soubise,  184, 
185  ; his  conduct  at  this  juncture 
an  interesting  study  for  the  moralist, 
185  ; in  love  with  Madame  de 
Ludres,  186-188;  discards  her  and 
returns  to  Madame  de  Montespan, 
188 ; bestows  a pension  and  a 
gratification  on  Madame  de  Ludres, 
189;  “all  eyes  for  Madame  de 
Montespan,”  190  ; resumes  his 
correspondence  with  Madame  de 
Maintenon,  195  note ; pleased  at 
the  Due  du  Maine’s  wish  to  go  to 
the  war,  195,  196 ; compels  the 
Court  to  follow  him  to  Lorraine, 
197  ; enters  Flanders,  200  ; takes 
Ghent,  200 ; visited  by  Madame 
de  Montespan  at  Oudenarde,  201 ; 
"still  violently  enamoured,”  201  ; 
refused  absolution,  202  ; his  gene- 
rosity to  Madame  de  Montespan, 
203-205  ; annoyed  by  her  losses 
at  hoca,  207  ; pays  her  gambling 
debts  and  those  of  Monsieur,  21 1 ; 
forbids  bassette  to  be  played,  211  ; 
founds  a convent  for  the  Ursuline 
nuns  at  Saint-Germain,  at  Madame 
de  Montespan’s  suggestion,  213  ; 
summons  Racine  and  Boileau  to 
read  fragments  of  their  contem- 

37 


Louis  XIV. — continued 

porary  history  to  him  and  Madame 
de  Montespan,  215,  216;  unable 
to  digest  Racine’s  flattery,  215; 
■ ' on  the  brink  of  a deep  precipice,  ’ ’ 
220 ; his  advances  rejected  by 
Mademoiselle  de  Beauvais,  221  ; 
transfers  his  attentions  to 
Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges,  and 
makes  her  his  mistress,  221,  222  ; 
resolves  to  finally  sever  his  con- 
nection with  Madame  de  Monte- 
span, 222 ; performs  his  Easter 
devotions,  223  ; appoints  Madame 
de  Montespan  Superintendent  of 
the  Queen's  Household,  224  ; and 
gives  her  the  rank  and  precedence 
of  a duchess,  224  and  note  ; com- 
plains that ' ‘ she  is  tormenting  him 
overmuch, ”224,  225  desperately 
in  love  with  Mademoiselle  de 
Fontanges,’’  225  ; loads  her  and 
her  relatives  with  favours,  225  ; 
taking  an  increased  pleasure  in 
the  society  of  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon, 227  ; creates  for  her  the  post 
of  second  dame  d'atour  to  the 
Dauphiness,  227;  “nothing  but 
perpetual  conversations  with  her,” 
228  ; has  a child  by  Mademoiselle 
de  Fontanges,  228  ; becoming  in- 
different to  her,  229  ; his  heart 
the  object  of  a triangular  duel, 
229 ; quarrels  with  Madame  de 
Montespan,  but  reconciled  by 
Colbert,  230 ; his  intense  dislike 
of  perfumes,  230  note  ; spends 
three  hours  in  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon’s  apartments,  231  ; goes 
from  Saint-Germain  to  Versailles 
with  Mesdames  de  Montespan,  de 
Thianges,  and  de  Nevers,  232  ; 
makes  a royal  progress  to  Flanders, 
233;  treats  Mademoiselle  de  Font- 
anges with  marked  coldness  on  his 
return,  234;  shares  the  general 
horror  and  indignation  at  the 
crimes  of  the  Poisoners,  242  ; his 
private  instructions  to  the  ex- 
amining-commissioners of  the 
Chambre  Ardente,  243,  244  ; con- 
nives at  the  escape  of  several  cul- 
prits of  high  rank,  251,  252  ; exiles 
theDuchessede  Bouillon, 255;  con- 
nives at  the  escape  of  the  Comtesse 
de  Soissons,  256  ; urges  the  judges 
of  the  Chambre  Ardente  to  do 
justice,  “without  distinction  of 
person,  rank,  or  sex  ” 260;  and 


INDEX 


Louis  XIV. — continued 

assures  them  of  his  protection, 
260 ; orders  the  evidence  of 
Marguerite  Monvoisin,  Romani, 
and  Bertrand  to  be  withheld  from 
the  judges,  262;  suspends  the 
sittings  of  the  Chambre  Ardente, 
263  and  note ; effect  upon  him  of 
La  Voisin's  " love-powders,”  270  ; 
the  plot  for  his  assassination,  275- 
277 ; orders  Mademoiselle  Des 
CEillets  to  be  confronted  with  her 
accusers,  281  ; his  reason  for 
refusing  to  allow  Madame  de 
Montespan  or  her  accusers  to  be 
brought  to  trial,  283-285  and  note  ; 
permits  the  Chambre  Ardente  to 
resume  its  investigations,  286 ; 
but  forbids  the  evidence  against 
Madame  de  Montespan  to  be  laid 
before  it,  286-287;  dissolves  the 
Chambre  Ardente,  288  ; takes  ex- 
traordinary precautions  to  ensure 
the  silence  of  Madame  de  Monte- 
span’s  accomplices,  288-290  ; 
destroys  the  incriminating  docu- 
ments, 291  ; has  suspicions  that 
Madame  de  Fontanges’s  death  is 
due  to  poison,  292  ; endeavours  to 
prevent  an  autopsy  being  held, 
292,  293 ; decides  that,  to  avoid 
scandal,  Madame  de  Montespan 
must  remain  at  Court,  295  ; con- 
tinues to  give  her  marks  of  his 
regard,  296 ; his  wonderful  self- 
control,  296  ; turning  a willing  ear 
to  the  pious  counsels  of  Madame 
de  Maintenon,  297  ; nightly  con- 
ferences between  him  and  the 
lady,  298 ; reconciled  to  the  Queen, 
301  ; his  conversion  not  yet  com- 
plete, 301 ; partakes  of  mJdianoche 
with  Mademoiselle  d’Or6  and 
alarms  the  devout  party,  302  ; his 
grief  at  the  Queen’s  death,  304  ; 
his  virtue  in  jeopardy,  306  ; offers 
his  hand  to  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon,  307  ; his  probable  reasons 
for  this  step,  307 ; his  marriage 
with  Madame  de  Maintenon,  308 
and  note ; does  not  tolerate  Madame 
de  Maintenon’s  interference  in 
affairs  of  State,  310,  3x1  ; but  per- 
mits her  to  exercise  great  influence 
in  matters  connected  with  the 
Court,  31 1 ; his  daily  life  at  this 
period,  313  and  note,  314  and 
note  ; receives  a magnificent  New 
Year’s  gift  from  Madame  de 


Louis  XIV. — continued 

Montespan,  315;  gives  her  marks 
of  his  favour,  317  ; does  not  invite 
her  to  accompany  the  Court  on  a 
visit  to  Bardges,  317;  spends  all 
his  time  with  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon, 318  ; resumes  his  visits  to 
his  former  mistress,  318  ; his  libe- 
rality to  the  Due  de  Bourbon  and 
Mademoiselle  de  Nantes  on  their 
marriage,  319  ; treats  Madame  de 
Montespan  with  increasing  cold- 
ness, 321  ; informed  by  Bossuet 
of  her  resolution  to  retire  from 
Court,  324  ; gives  her  apartments 
to  the  Due  du  Maine,  325  ; his 
esteem  for  the  Abbess  of  Fonte- 
vrault,333  ; his  kindness  to  Madame 
de  Thianges,  334  ; admires  her 
daughters,  the  Duchessede  Nevers 
and  the  Duchess  Sforza,  334,  335  ; 
rallies  the  Due  de  Vivonne  on  his 
corpulence,  335  ; discourages  the 
visits  of  Madame  de  Montespan’s 
children  to  their  mother,  336 ; 
administers  a rebuff  to  the  Due 
d’Antin,  339  ; refuses  to  receive 
him  into  favour  during  his  mother’s 
lifetime,  339  ; his  conduct  on 
learning  of  Madame  de  Monte- 
span’s death,  359,  360 

Louis  XV.,  2,  123,  300 

Louis,  Dauphin  of  France  (son  of 
Louis  XIV.) 

the  Due  de  Montausier  appointed 
his  gouvemtur,  61 ; and  Bossuet 
his  tutor,  108  ; makes  his  mis- 
tress observe  fast-days,  149  note ; 
warned  by  the  King  to  avoid 
'■  these  miserable  entanglements,” 
153  ; betrothed  to  Marie  Anne  of 
Bavaria,  227 

Louvigny,  Madame  de,  185  and  note 

Louvois 

directs  the  intendant  of  Roussillon 
to  institute  proceedings  against 
the  Marquis  de  Montespan,  63-65  ; 
his  curious  instructions  to  the 
intendant  of  Dunkerque  relative 
to  a journey  of  the  Court,  81,  82  ; 
” acknowledges  an  error  that  he 
has  not  committed,”  125  note ; 
seeks  to  induce  the  King  to  with- 
draw his  consent  to  the  marriage 
of  Lauzun  and  la  Grande  Made- 
moiselle, 1 36;  intrigues  with  Madame 
de  Montespan  to  ruin  Lauzun,  139 ; 
precautions  he  enjoins  on  the 
governor  of  Pignerol  in  regard  to 


INDEX 


Louvois — continued 

Lauzan's  imprisonment,  140 ; visits 
Madame  de  Maintenon  on  her  re- 
turn from  Bareges,  179;  letters 
which  he  receives  from  Saint- 
Pouange  during  the  campaign  of 
1678,  198, 199  ; and  from  Villacerf, 
matin  d’hCtel  to  the  Queen,  200, 
201  ; responsible  for  the  proceed- 
ings against  Marshal  de  Luxem- 
bourg, 252  ; and  the  Comtesse  de 
Soissons,  256 ; wishes  to  protect 
Madame  de  Montespan  in  the 
Poisons  affair,  280  ; privately  ex- 
amines Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets, 
280 ; his  letter  to  La  Reynie 
concerning  her,  280,  281  ; brings 
Mademoiselle  Des  CEillets  to  Vin- 
cennes and  causes  her  to  be  con- 
fronted with  her  accusers,  282  ; 
advises  the  King  not  to  allow 
Madame  de  Montespan  or  her 
accomplices  to  be  brought  to  trial, 
284  ; his  letter  to  Bazin  de  Bezons 
in  regard  to  the  evidence  of  La 
Joly,  287  ; his  precautions  to  en- 
sure the  silence  of  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  accomplices,  289  and 
note,  290 ; one  of  the  witnesses 
to  Louis  XIV.’s  marriage  with 
Madame  de  Maintenon,  308  ; his 
responsibility  for  the  Revocation  of 
the  Edict  of  Nantes,  31 1 

Ludres,  Madame  de 

her  love-affair  with  Charles  IV. 
of  Lorraine,  186,  187;  her  amorous 
conquests  at  the  French  Court, 
187  ; believed  to  be  about  to  be- 
come maitresse  en  titre,  187  and 
note  ; discarded  by  the  King,  188  ; 
declines  pecuniary  compensation 
for  her  disappointment,  188  ; 
cruelly  humiliated  by  Madame  de 
Montespan,  188  ; retires  from 
Court,  189  ; accepts  a pension  and 
a gratification,  "in  consideration 
of  her  services,”  189  ; figures  in 
Quinault’s  opera,  Isis,  218 

Luxembourg,  Duchesse  de,  253  and 
note 

Luxembourg,  Marshal  de 

his  trial  before  the  Chambre  Ar- 
dente,  252,  253 

Luynes,  Due  de  ; (cited)  307  note 

Maine,  Due  du 

eldest  son  of  Louis  XIV.  and 
Madame  de  Montespan,  68  and 
note ; entrusted  to  the  care  of 


Maine,  Due  du — continued 

Madame  Scarron,  92  ; legitimated, 
100 ; pays  a visit  to  the  Court, 
101 ; becomes  lame,  102  ; goes  to 
Antwerp  with  Madame  Scarron, 
102  ; established  at  Court,  103  ; 
obtains  part  of  la  Grande  Mademoi- 
selle's property  in  return  for  Lau- 
zun’s  liberation,  142-144  ; sent  to 
the  Pyrenees  in  charge  of  Madame 
de  Maintenon,  176  ; honours  paid 
to  him  on  the  journey,  176,  177  ; 
returns  in  improved  health,  179  ; 
goes  again  to  the  Pyrenees,  190  ; 
his  letters  to  Madame  de  Monte- 
span, 190-195  ; his  letter  to  the 
King,  195  note  ; wishes  to  accom- 
pany the  King  to  the  army,  195  ; 
CEuvres  diverses  d'un  auteur  de  sept 
ans,  220  and  note  ; estranged  from 
his  mother,  322,  323  ; given  her 
apartments  after  her  retirement 
from  Court,  325  ; accused  by  Saint- 
Simon  of  having  intrigued  against 
her  with  Bossuet  and  Madame  de 
Maintenon,  325  note ; marries 
Mademoiselle  de  Bourbon-Charo- 
lais,  336  ; holds  completely  aloof 
from  Madame  de  Montespan,  337  ; 
regards  her  death  as  the  removal 
of  an  impediment  to  his  fortunes, 
360 

Maintenon,  Chateau  of,  170  and  note, 
185,  188  and  note 

Maintenon,  Madame  de 

her  description  of  the  state  entry 
of  Louis  XIV.  and  Maria  Theresa 
into  Paris,  21-24  ! recommended 
to  Madame  de  Montespan  as  gou- 
vernante  for  her  children  by  Louis 
XIV.,  84,  85  ; widely  divergent 
views  as  to  her  character,  85  ; the 
probable  truth,  85-87  ; her  birth 
and  parentage,  88  ; hardships  of 
her  early  years,  88-90  ; her  mar- 
riage with  the  poet  Scarron,  90  ; 
her  married  life,  91  ; her  husband's 
death,  91 ; her  portrait  by  Madame 
de  Scud6ry,  91  ; granted  a pension 
at  the  instance  of  Madame  de 
Montespan,  91  ; declines  to  un- 
dertake the  charge  of  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  children,  except  at 
the  King's  request,  91,  92  ; diffi- 
culties of  her  post,  92,  ; removes 

with  her  charges  to  the  Rue  de 
Vaugirard,  93  ; precautions  which 
she  observes  there,  93,  94  ; aston- 
ishment caused  by  her  sudden 


INDEX 


Main  tenon,  Madame  de — continued 
disappearance  from  society,  94 ; 
capricious  treatment  which  she 
receives  from  Madame  de  Monte- 
span,  94,  95  ; the  King's  early 
antipathy  disappears  on  a closer 
acquaintance,  95,  96  and  note ; 
returns  to  society,  96,  97  ; takes 
the  Due  du  Maine  to  Antwerp, 
102  ; her  letter  to  Madame  de 
Montespan,  102  ; established  at 
Court  with  her  charges,  103  ; en- 
deavours to  dissuade  La  Valliere 
from  entering  the  Carmelites,  no  ; 
advises  Madame  de  Montespan 
to  oppose  Lauzun’s  marriage  with 
la  Grande  Mademoiselle,  136  ; divided 
between  the  conflicting  claims  of 
religion  and  self-interest,  167  ; per- 
suaded by  her  confessor,  the  Abbe 
Gobelin,  to  remain  at  Court,  167, 
168  ; her  relations  with  Madame 
de  Montespan,  at  first  friendly, 
become  strained,  168-170  ; buys 
the  Chateau  de  Maintenon  and 
takes  the  name  of  her  property, 
170  and  note ; resolves  on  the 
conversion  of  Louis  XIV.  and  the 
discomfiture  of  Madame  de  Monte- 
span, 170-172  ; warns  Madame 
de  Montespan  of  the  error  of  her 
ways,  173,  174;  remonstrates  with 
the  King,  174 ; has  a " terrible 
scene”  with  Madame  de  Monte- 
span, 174, 175  ; complains  to  Louis 
XIV.  of  the  favourite's  treatment 
of  her,  175  ; her  conduct  at  the 
time  of  Madame  de  Montespan’s 
temporary  disgrace,  176  ; her 
journey  to  the  Pyrenees  with  the 
Due  du  Maine,  176,  177  ; corre- 
sponds with  the  King,  177,  178  ; 
her  letters  preferred  by  Napo- 
leon I.  to  those  of  Madame  de 
Sevigne,  177,  178  and  note  ; the  an- 
tagonism between  her  and  Madame 
de  Montespan  an  open  secret  at 
Court,  178,  179  ; treated  with  in- 
creased consideration  on  her  return 
to  Versailles,  179;  compliment 
paid  her  by  the  King,  179  ; with 
Madame  de  Montespan  at  Main- 
tenon,  188  note;  declines  to  under- 
take the  charge  of  Mademoiselle  de 
Blois  or  the  Comte  de  Toulouse, 
188  note  ; again  takes  the  Due  du 
Maine  to  the  Pyrenees,  190  ; her 
letters  to  the  Abb£  Gobelin,  190  ; 
"spends  all  the  day  in  spinning,” 


Maintenon,  Madame  de — continued 
193  ; resumes  her  correspondence 
with  the  King,  195  note  ; her  New 
Year’s  gift  to  Madame  de  Monte- 
span in  1679,  220  and  note ; im- 
plores the  Abb6  Gobelin  to  pray 
for  the  King,  221  ; high  in  favour 
with  Louis  XIV.,  even  during  his 
passion  for  Mademoiselle  de  Fon- 
tanges,  227 ; appointed  second 
dame  d'atour  to  the  Dauphiness, 
227;  “has  perpetual  conversations 
with  the  King,”  228 ; works  to 
detach  him  from  Mademoiselle 
de  Fontanges,  229  ; her  influence 
increasing  rapidly,  230,  231  ; cir- 
cumvents Madame  de  Montespan’s 
attempts  to  overthrow  her,  231, 
232  ; accompanies  the  Court  to 
Flanders,  233  ; her  schemes  fur- 
thered by  the  revelation  of  Madame 
de  Montespan’s  dealings  with  the 
Poisoners,  297 ; “ on  the  very 
pinnacle  of  favour,”  298  ; brings 
about  a rapprochement  between  the 
King  and  Queen,  298  and  note ; 
her  conduct  not  so  disinterested 
as  some  imagine,  298-301 ; " is 
but  too  much  extolled,”  301;  re- 
ceives acor/osflafofromPopelnno- 
centXI., 301  note;  in  constant  dread 
of  the  King’s  lapse  from  grace, 
301,  302;  alarmed  by  his  atten- 
tions to  Mademoiselle  d’Ore,  302  ; 
her  relations  with  Madame  de 
Montespan  at  this  period,  303 : 
exercises  unsleeping  vigilance  over 
the  virtue  of  the  King,  304 ; ac- 
companies the  Court  to  Alsace 
and  Burgundy,  304 ; present  at 
the  death,  of  the  Queen,  304;  a 
singular  incident,  304,  305  ; rallied 
by  the  King  on  her  lugubrious 
appearance,  305  ; greatly  alarmed 
at  the  change  in  the  situation 
caused  by  the  Queen’s  death,  305, 
306 ; her  letters  to  Madame  de 
Brinon,  her  brother,  and  the  Abbe 
Gobelin,  306;  the  King  offers  her 
his  hand,  307  ; her  marriage  with 
Louis  XIV.,  307,  308  and  note; 
her  influence  after  her  marriage 
considered,  309-311;  decides  to 
tolerate,  for  a while,  Madame  de 
Montespan 's  presence  at  Court, 
31 1 ; visited  daily  by  the  King, 
314  ; renewal  of  the  antagonism 
between  her  and  Madame  de 
Montespan,  315  ; decides  to  drive 


374 


INDEX 


Maintenon,  Madame  de — continued 
the  ex-favourite  from  Court,  315, 
316;  the  victim  of  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  bon-mots,  316;  per- 
suades the  King  to  exclude  Madame 
de  Montespan  from  a visit  of  the 
Court  to  Bardges,  316,  317;  works 
to  estrange  the  Due  du  Maine 
from  his  mother,  322,  323 ; pro- 
tests her  friendship  for  Madame 
de  Montespan  after  the  latter’s 
retirement  from  Court,  329  and 
note,  330  ; but  requests  the  mar- 
chioness to  cease  writing  to  her, 
330,  331  and  note ; declines  to 
bestow  her  favour  on  the  Due 
d’Antin  during  his  mother’s  life- 
time, 339 ; sheds  tears  on  learning 
of  Madame  de  Montespan’s  death, 

360 

Malezieux,  Nicolas  de  (prdeepteur  to 
the  Due  du  Maine),  322  and  note 

Mancini,  Hortense,  Duchesse  de  Ma- 
zarin,  4 note,  11,  16  and  note,  17 

Mancini,  Laure,  Duchesse  de  Mer- 
coeur,  4 note 

Mancini,  Marie,  Princess  of  Palliano, 
youngest  of  the  five  Mancini  sisters, 

4 note ; introduced  to  Court  by 
her  uncle,  Cardinal  Mazarin,  6; 
her  portrait,  7 and  note;  "be- 
comes assured  that  she  is  not 
hated  by  the  King,”  7;  endea- 
vours to  dissuade  Louis  XIV. 
from  wedding  the  Infanta,  9 ; her 
accomplishments,  10  ; Louis  XIV. 
determines  to  marry  her,  10;  sent 
to  Brouage  by  Mazarin,  n ; her 
affecting  parting  from  the  King, 

11,  12;  carries  on  "a  continual 
commerce  of  long  letters”  with 
Louis  XIV.,  13;  interview  with 
him  at  Saint-Jean  d’Angely,  15  ; 
decides  to  break  off  her  connection 
with  the  King,  15  ; her  marriage 
with  the  Constable  Colonna  and 
subsequent  adventures,  16,  17 

Mancini,  Marie  Anne ; see  Bouillon, 
Duchesse  de 

Mancini,  Olympe  ; sec  Soissons,  Com- 
tesse  de 

Mansart  (architect),  120 

Maqueron  (Intendant  of  Roussillon), 

63,'  64  and  note 

Maria  Theresa,  Queen  of  France 
negotiations  for  her  marriage  with 
Louis  XIV.,  8,  9;  her  marriage 
with  the  King,  19,  20  ; state  entry 
into  Paris  with  her  husband,  | 

375 


Maria,  Theresa,  Queen  of  France— 
continued 

21-23;  her  personal  appearance 
and  character,  24 ; jealous  of  the 
King’s  attentions  to  Madame,  26 ; 
believes  that  there  is  "nothing 
but  mere  friendship”  between 
the  King  and  Louise  de  La  Valliere, 

32  ; the  " Spanish  letter  ” plot  to 
enlighten  her,  31,  32;  dismisses 
Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte- 
Houdancourt  from  her  service, 

33  ; deceived  by  Madame  de 
Montespan,  45 ; orders  La  Val- 
liere to  retire  to  Vaujours,  46; 
sets  out  to  join  the  King  at 
Avesnes,  47  ; her  chagrin  at  La 
Valliere’s  conduct  in  following  the 
Court,  48,  49;  "throws  herself 
into  a fearful  passion,”  50  ; com- 
plains of  the  King’s  late  hours,  53  ; 
follows  him  to  Flanders,  54  ; re- 
ceives an  anonymous  letter,  55  ; 
" is  the  dupe  of  no  one,”  55  ; re- 
ceives Madame  de  Montespan ’s 
children,  103;  assures  La  Valliere 
of  her  forgiveness,  112,  113  ; rele- 
gated to  a secondary  position  at 
Court  by  Madame  de  Montespan, 
1 1 6 ; her  complaisance  towards  the 
favourite,  117;  dismissal  of  her 
filles  d'lionneur,  118;  obliged  to  ask 
favours  of  Madame  de  Monte- 
span, 1 18;  protests  against  Lau- 
zun’s  marriage  with  la  Grande 
Mademoiselle,  136;  present  at  La 
Valliere’s  taking  the  veil,  146- 
148 ; visits  Madame  de  Monte- 
span at  Clagny,  1 59 ; reconciled 
to  her,  160  and  note ; visits  La 
Valliere  at  the  Carmelites,  180, 
181 ; accompanies  the  King  to 
Lorraine  and  Flanders,  197-200  ; 
receives  the  news  of  the  taking  of 
Ghent,  200,  201  ; devoted  to  play, 
207  ; founds  a hospital  at  Saint- 
Germain-en-Laye,  201 ; insolent 
behaviour  of  Mademoiselle  de 
Fontanges  towards  her,  225  ; re- 
conciled to  the  King  through  the 
influence  of  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon, 298  andnote;  givesMadame 
de  Maintenon  her  portrait,  298 
note  ; accompanies  the  King  to 
Burgundy  and  Alsace,  304  ; her 
illness  and  death,  304,  305 

| Mariette,  Abbe  (sorcerer) 

performs  sorceries  on  behalf  of 
Madame  de  Montespan,  266,  267  ; 


INDEX 


Mariette,  Abb<j  (sorcerer) — continued 
arrested  and  tried  by  the  Chatelet, 
267,  268  ; escapes  from  prison,  268 
Mascaron,  171  and  note 
Maucroix,  Francois  (cited),  74  note 
Mazarin,  Cardinal 

introduces  his  niece,  Marie  Man- 
cini,  to  Court,  6 ; his  project  for 
marrying  Louis  XIV.  to  the  In- 
fanta Maria  Theresa,  8,  9 ; his 
overtures  to  the  Court  of  Savoy, 
9 ; his  proposals  accepted  by 
Spain,  9 ; alarmed  at  the  King’s 
infatuation  for  Marie  Mancini,  10  ; 
firmly  refuses  to  consent  to  Louis’s 
marriage  with  her,  11  ; sends  her 
to  Brouage,  n ; goes  to  meet  the 
Spanish  plenipotentiaries  at  Saint- 
Jean  de  Luz,  12  ; his  letter  of 
remonstrance  to  the  King,  12-15; 
marries  his  niece  to  the  Constable 
Colonna,  16 ; present  at  Louis 
XIV. 's  marriage  with  the  Infanta, 
19 ; the  splendour  of  his  House- 
hold, 21 ; his  death,  29 
Mazarin,  Due  de,  16  note 
Meilleraye,  Due  de : see  Mazarin, 
Due  de 

Meilleraye,  Marechal  de,  80 
Mellot ; (cited)  1 17  note 
Menneville,  Mademoiselle,  31 
Mesmes,  Antoinette  de  ; see  Vivonne, 
Duchesse  de 

Mesmes,  President  de,  267 
Mignard  (painter),  67,  354 
Miramion,  Madame  de,  351,  352 
Moli£re,  57,  164,  336 
Molina,  Donna,  31 

Monaco,  Louis  I.,  Prince  de,  129  note 
Monaco,  Princesse  de,  129  and  note, 

130,  133 

Monsieur : see  Orleans,  Philippe  Due  d’ 
Montausier,  Due  de,  61,  159,  171 
Montausier,  Duchesse  de  (dame 
d'honneur  to  the  Queen) 
inexpressibly  shocked  at  La  Val- 
liere’s  conduct  in  following  the 
Court  to  Flanders,  47,  48  ; shares 
apartments  with  Madame  de  Mon- 
tespan  at  Avesnes,  50 ; loudly 
protests  against  the  charge  of 
" giving  mistresses  to  the  King,” 
55  ; publicly  insulted  by  the  Mar- 
quis de  Montespan,  61,  62  ; her 
death,  62 

Montchevreuil,  Madame  de,  302  note, 
306,  324  and  note,  342  and  note 
Montchevreuil,  Marquis  de,  302  and 
note,  303,  308 


Montespan,  Madame  de 

comes  to  Court  as  fille  d'honneur 
to  the  Queen,  37  ; her  birth  and 
parentage,  37,  38  ; her  education, 
38  note ; dances  in  the  ballet, 
Hercule  amoureux,  38  ; officiates  as 
queteuse  at  Saint-Germain  l’Auxer- 
rois,  38,  39  ; her  praises  sung  by 
Loret  in  La  Muse  historique,yg,  40  ; 
her  beauty  described  by  her  con- 
temporaries, 40  ; her  wit,  40,  41  ; 
her  marriage  with  the  Marquis  de 
Montespan,  41  ; her  children  by 
the  marquis,  41  and  note;  dis- 
honourable conduct  of  her  parents 
and  those  of  her  husband  in  regard 
to  her  dowry,  42 ; envious  of 
Louise  de  La  Valliere,  42,  43  ; and 
resolves  to  supplant  her,  43 ; 
erroneously  believed  by  historians 
to  be  the  victim  of  Louis  XI V.’s 
desires,  43,  44 ; difficulties  in  the 
way  of  realising  her  ambition,  44  ; 
her  duplicity  towards  La  Valliere 
and  the  Queen,  45  ; her  pretended 
indignation  at  La  Valliere’s  con- 
duct in  following  the  Court  to 
Flanders,  48,  49 ; her  suspicious 
behaviour  at  Avesnes,  51  ; goes  to 
confession  with  La  Valliere  at 
Notre-Dame  de  Liesse,  51 ; returns 
to  Compiegne,  52 ; accompanies 
the  Court  to  Flanders,  54  ; pleads 
indisposition  at  Tournai  and  re- 
mains in  her  apartments,  54  ; 
denounced  to  the  Queen  in  an 
anonymous  letter,  55  ; indignantly 
asserts  her  innocence,  55  ; gene- 
rally suspected  of  being  the  King's 
mistress,  57  ; threatened  with  ex- 
communication  by  her  uncle,  the 
Archbishop  of  Sens,  60 ; secret  of 
her  ascendency  over  Louis  XIV., 

67  ; her  favour  coincides  with  the 
zenith  of  his  reign,  67,  68 ; gives 
birth  to  her  first  child  by  the  King, 

68  ; and  to  the  Due  du  Maine,  68  ; 
list  of  her  children  by  Louis  XIV., 
68  note ; brings  an  action  for  a 
separation  from  her  husband  be- 
fore the  Chatelet,  69 ; surrenders 
the  alimony  granted  her  by  the 
court  in  favour  of  her  children  by 
the  marquis,  69,  70 ; occupies 
apartments  at  the  Tuileries  com- 
municating with  those  of  La 
Valliere,  74 ; cruelly  humiliates 
her  fallen  rival  and  compels  the 
King  to  do  the  same,  76;  desirous 


376 


INDEX 


Montespan,  Madame  de — continued 
of  having  her  position  acknow- 
ledged, 8o;  endeavours  to  persuade 
Louis  XIV.  to  allow  La  Valliere 
to  remain  at  Chaillot,  80 ; her 
pretended  joy  at  La  Valliere's  re- 
turn to  Court,  80 ; seeks  a guar- 
dian for  her  children,  83  ; refuses 
Madame  d’Heudicourt's  offer  of 
her  services,  84  ; offers  the  post  to 
Madame  Scarron,  85  ; procures  a 
pension  for  her,  91  ; purchases  a 
house  in  the  Rue  de  Vaugirard  for 
the  children  and  their  gouvernante, 
93 ; her  capricious  treatment  of 
Madame  Scarron,  94,  95  ; makes 
game  of  the  habitues  of  the  Hotels 
de  Richelieu  and  d’Albret,  95; 
her  children  legitimated,  100,  101 ; 
and  brought  to  Court,  103  ; 
ridicules  La  Valliere’s  resolution 
to  retire  to  the  Carmelites,  109  ; 
sends  Madame  Scarron  to  dis- 
suade her  from  her  purpose,  no; 
withdraws  her  objections,  in  ; 
entertains  La  Valliere  to  supper 
the  evening  before  her  retirement, 
1 13;  becomes  maltresse  dtclarH, 
1 15;  her  magnificent  toilettes  de- 
scribed by  Madame  de  Sevigne. 
116;  extraordinary  honours  paid 
to  her,  116  ; persuades  the  King  to 
dismiss  the  Queen’s  filles  d'honneur, 
118;  places  the  Queen  under  an 
obligation,  118  ; refuses  a present 
of  jewellery  from  Louis  XIV.  ,118; 
her  chateau  of  Clagny,  120-123  ; 
her  relatives  and  children  loaded 
with  honours,  125;  procures  a 
marshal's  baton  for  her  brother, 
the  Due  de  Vivonne,  125  note ; 
insulted  by  the  Comte  de  Lauzun, 
I3°-I32  1 uses  her  influence  to 
prevent  his  marriage  with  la  Grande 
Mademoiselle,  136,  137  ; responsible 
for  his  disgrace  and  long  imprison- 
ment at  Pignerol,  138,  139  ; feigns 
to  sympathise  with  Mademoiselle, 
140  ; induces  her  to  settle  a large 
part  of  her  property  on  the  Due 
du  Maine  in  return  for  Lauzun’s 
liberation,  141-143;  her  interviews 
with  Lauzun  at  Bourbon,  143  ; 
loses  her  little  daughter,  Made- 
moiselle de  Tours,  143  ; does  not 
keep  faith  with  Mademoiselle, 
143,  144  ; very  punctilious  in  the 
discharge  of  her  religious  duties, 
149;  her  answer  to  the  Ducliesse 


Montespan,  Madame  de — continued 
d’Uzes,  149 ; refused  absolution 
by  a priest  of  Versailles,  149 ; 
dismissed  from  Court  through  the 
influence  of  Bossuet,  151  ; her 
stormy  interview  with  the  bishop, 
152  ; eventually  yields  to  his  ex- 
hortations, 152  ; communicates  at 
Easter,  153  ; authorised  to  reside 
at  Clagny,  153  ; takes  what  is  be- 
lieved to  be  a final  farewell  of  the 
King.  x53.  154;  leading  “an 

exemplary  life,”  159;  considera- 
tion shown  her  by  the  Queen,  160  ; 
carries  on  a clandestine  corre- 
spondence with  Louis  XIV.,  162  ; 
returns  to  Versailles,  163 ; her 
interview  with  the  King,  164 ; 
recovers  her  empire,  164  ; her  re- 
lations with  Madame  Scarron 
(now  Madame  de  Maintenon), 
168-175  ; visits  Louise  de  La 
Valliere  at  the  Carmelites,  180 ; 
goes  to  Bourbon,  181  ; honours 
paid  her  on  the  journey,  181,  182  ; 
her  affectionate  reception  by  the 
King  on  her  return,  183;  her 
position  apparently  unassailable, 
183  ; neglected  for  Madame  de 
Soubise,  184,  185  ; her  chagrin  at 
the  King’s  infidelities,  185,  186  ; 
believed  to  be  on  the  point  of  being 
supplanted  by  Madame  de  Ludres, 
187  ; gives  birth  to  Mademoiselle 
de  Blois,  188  and  note ; restored  to 
favour,  188  ; her  cruel  treatment 
of  Madame  de  Ludres,  188,  189  ; 
her  empire  more  firmly  established 
than  ever,  189 ; her  letter  to  the 
Due  du  Maine,  195-197  ; obliged 
to  follow  the  King  to  Lorraine  and 
Flanders,  197  ; falls  ill  with  fever, 
198  and  note  ; receives  the  news 
of  the  fall  of  Ghent,  200 ; visits 
the  King  at  Oudenarde,  201 ; re- 
turns to  Clagny  and  gives  birth  to 
the  Comte  de  Toulouse,  201  ; 
receives  immense  sums  of  money 
from  the  King,  204 ; persuades 
him  to  make  her  a grant  of  the 
proceeds  of  the  tobacco  monopoly, 
205  ; and  to  arm  vessels  as  priva- 
teers to  operate  for  her  benefit, 
205  ; one  of  the  most  reckless 
gamblers  known  to  history,  206  ; 
wins  and  loses  incredible  sums, 
210,  211  ; her  losses  paid  by  the 
King,2ii  ; hersplendid  generosity, 
21 1 ; founds  the  Hopital  des 


377 


INDEX 


Montespan,  Madame  de— continued 
Vieillards  at  Saint-Germain-en- 
Laye,  21  r,  212;  her  munificence 
to  the  general  hospital  in  the  same 
town,  212  and  note  ; persuades  the  ! 
King  to  found  a convent  for  the  < 
Ursuline  nuns  at  Saint-Germain,  \ 
213,  214  ; builds  a home  for  little  j 
orphan  girls  at  Fontainebleau, 
214 ; and  completes  the  dome  of  ^ 
the  church  of  the  Oratorian 
monastery  at  Saumur,  214  ; “con- 
verses like  a person  who  reads," 
214 ; her  patronage  of  men  of 
letters,  215 ; causes  Corneille's 
pension  to  be  restored  to  him,  215  ; 
introduces  Racine  into  the  im- 
mediate entourage  of  the  King,  215  ; 
suggests  the  appointment  of  a 
Royal  Historiographer,  215 ; but 
causes  Pellisson  to  be  dismissed 
from  that  post  for  having  decided 
against  her  in  a lawsuit,  215  ; 
flattered  by  La  Fontaine,  216,  217  ; 
presents  the  poet  to  the  King,  217  ; 
protects  Quinault  and  the  com- 
poser Lulli,  217;  ingratitude  of 
her  literary  proUgts,  218 ; mag- 
nificent New  Year’s  gifts  which 
she  receives  in  1679,  219,  220  ; 
her  singular  present  to  the  Prin- 
cesse  d’Harcourt,  220  ; discovers 
the  King’s  passion  for  Made- 
moiselle de  Fontanges,  222  ; leaves 
Saint-Germain  suddenly  for  Paris, 
223 ; but  returns  and  is  made 
Superintendent  of  the  Queen's 
Household,  223,  224 ; and  given 
the  rank  and  precedence  of  a 
duchess,  224  note ; apparently 
resigns  herself  to  the  situation, 
224 ; receives  splendid  presents 
from  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges, 
226 ; enraged  at  the  elevation  of 
the  new  favourite  to  the  rank  of 
duchess,  226  ; and  at  the  growing 
influence  of  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon,  227  ; determined  to  recover 
her  supremacy,  229 ; has  high 
words  with  the  King,  230  ; in- 
trigues, but  unsuccessfully,  against 
Madame  de  Maintenon,  231,  232  ; 
her  dealings  with  the  Poisoners 
brought  to  light,  264  ; sorceries 
performed  on  her  behalf  by 
Mariette  and  Lesage,  266,  267  ; 
has  a “black  mass”  said  over 
her,  by  Guibourg,  on  three  occa- 
sions, 268-270  ; procures  “ love-  I 


Montespan,  Madame  d e— continued 
powders’’  from  La  Voisin  and 
administers  them  to  the  King,  270  ; 
consults  La  Voisin  " whenever 
she  fears  any  diminution  in  the 
favour  of  the  King,  ’ ' 270  ; consults 
La  Filastre,  272 ; has  a " black 
mass"  said  over  her  at  LaVoisin’s 
house,  272,  273  ; resolves  to  put 
an  end  to  Louis  XIV.  and  Made- 
moiselle de  Fontanges,  275  ; and 
employs  La  Voisin  to  carry  out 
her  design,  275,  276;  employs  La 
Filastre  to  poison  Mademoiselle 
de  Fontanges  after  the  arrest  of 
La  Voisin,  278 ; endeavours  to 
tamper  with  the  prisoners  at 
Vincennes,  281  ; her  immunity 
from  punishment  secured  by  Louis 
XIV. 's  dread  of  a public  scandal, 
283-286 ; evidence  against  her 
withheld  from  the  Chambre  Ar- 
dente,  286-288 ; extraordinary 
precautions  taken  to  secure  the 
silence  of  her  accomplices,  288- 
290  ; documents  incriminating  her 
destroyed  by  the  King,  292  ; sus- 
pected of  having  poisoned  Made- 
moiselle de  Fontanges,  292,  293  ; 
permitted  to  remain  at  Court  in 
order  to  avert  suspicion,  295,  296; 
and  treated  by  Louis  XIV.  with 
the  same  consideration  as  hereto- 
fore, 296;  believed  to  have  brought 
Mademoiselle  d’Ore’s  charms  to 
the  notice  of  the  King,  302  ; her 
relations  with  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon  at  this  period,  303  ; her 
presence  at  Court  tolerated  by 
Madame  de  Maintenon  after  her 
marriage  with  Louis  XIV.,  31 1, 
312  ; apparently  reconciled  to  the 
situation,  312;  visited  every  day 
by  the  King,  313,  314  I leaves  her 
old  apartments  at  Versailles  for 
the  Appartcmcnt  des  Bains,  314; 
makes  the  King  a splendid  New 
Year’s  gift,  314  ; and  is  still,  to  all 
appearance,  high  in  favour,  315; 
becomes  aware  that  Madame  de 
Maintenon  has  resolved  to  drive 
her  from  Court,  316  ; her  bon-mots 
at  Madame  de  Maintenon’s  ex- 
pense, 316;  her  fury  and  mortifi- 
cation at  being  excluded  from  a 
visit  of  the  Court  to  Bardges,  316, 
317  ; no  longer  visited  by  the 
King,  318  ; but,  after  a time,  again 
apparently  in  favour,  318 ; her 


INDEX 


Montespan,  Madame  de — continued 
liberality  to  her  son,  the  Due 
d’Antin,  320;  her  present  to  his 
wife,  320 ; nurses  her  daughters 
through  attacks  of  small-pox,  320, 
321  ; becomes  a comparatively 
unimportant  person  at  Court,  321 
and  note ; estrangement  between 
her  and  the  Due  du  Maine,  322, 
323  ; her  benefactions  to  the  Cou- 
vent  des  Filles  de  Saint-Joseph, 
323  and  note ; decides  to  retire 
from  Court  and  make  it  her 
headquarters,  324  ; and  requests 
Bossuet  to  inform  the  King  of  her 
intention,  324 ; her  apartments 
given  by  the  King  to  the  Due  du 
Maine,  324  ; repents  of  her  reso- 
lution, but  too  late,  325,  326  ; pays 
occasional  visits  to  the  Court  after 
her  retirement,  327,  328  ; but  soon 
ceases  to  do  so,  329  ; and  is  almost 
completely  forgotten,  329  ; her  re- 
lations with  Madame  de  Main- 
tenon  after  her  retirement,  329- 
331  ; the  society  of  her  sister,  the 
Abbess  of  Fontevrault,  her  chief 
consolation  in  exile,  331  ; her  re- 
lations with  her  children,  335,336; 

" occupies  herself  with  enriching  ” 
the  Due  d’Antin,  337  ; purchases 
the  Chateau  of  Oiron,  337  and 
note  ; her  correspondence  with  the 
Duchesse  de  Noailles,  339-343 : 
and  with  Daniel  Huet,  Bishop  of 
Avranches,  343-350 ; her  conver- 
sations with  Madame  de  Miramion, 
351,  352  ; becomes  sincerely  peni- 
tent, 352  ; her  noble  generosity, 
352  ; founds  the  Hospice  of  Oiron, 
352-354 ; writes  to  her  husband 
entreating  his  pardon,  354  ; loses 
her  sister,  the  Abbess  of  Fonte- 
vrault, 355 ; her  secret  macerations 
and  penitent  life,  354,  355  ; her 
horror  of  death,  355  ; still  retains  \ 
her  queenly  manner,  355,  356  ; has  i 
a presentiment  of  approaching  j 
death.  356 ; taken  ill  at  Bourbon,  j 
356 ; her  last  hours,  356,  357 ; | 
scandal  of  her  burial,  358,  359  ; j 
her  death  causes  but  slight  im- 
pression at  Court,  360  ; her  best 
claim  to  our  regard,  361 
Montespan,  Marquis  de 

his  marriage  with  Mademoiselle 
deTonnay-Charente,  41  ; his  chil- 
dren by  the  marriage,  41  note; 
only  receives  a portion  of  his  wi  fe’s 


Montespan,  Marquis  de — continued 
dowry,  42  ; dishonourable  conduct 
of  his  parents,  42 ; finds  himself 
in  debt,  42 ; refuses  “ to  share 
with  Jupiter,”  57  ; opinion  of  his 
contemporaries  in  regard  to  his 
conduct,  58  and  note  ; has  stormy 
interviews  with  the  King,  59  ; sup- 
ported by  his  uncle,  the  Archbishop 
of  Sens,  59,  60 ; publicly  insults 
Madame  de  Montausier,  61 ; im- 
prisoned in  For  l’Eveque,  but 
soon  set  at  liberty,  62  ; his  farewell 
visit  to  the  Court,  62 ; quarrel 
between  soldiers  under  his  com- 
mand and  the  under-bailiff  of  Per- 
pignan, 62,  63  ; Louvois’s  letter  to 
the  Intendant  of  Roussillon  on 
this  matter,  63,  64  ; summoned  to 
appear beforethe  Supreme  Council 
of  Roussillon,  64  ; takes  refuge  in 
Spain,  65  ; action  for  a separation 
brought  against  him  by  his  wife, 
69,  70 ; correspondence  between 
Louis  XIV.  and  Colbert  respecting 
him,  70-72  ; feared  by  the  King, 
76  ; still  breathing  forth  fire  and 
slaughter,  97  ; refused  permission 
to  have  his  son,  the  Due  d’Antin, 
educated  in  Paris,  320 ; under 
strict  surveillance  during  a visit 
to  the  capital,  320 ; his  reply  to 
his  wife’s  letter  entreating  his 
pardon,  354 

Montmorency,  Madame  de,  188 

Montpensier,  Mademoiselle  de 

styled  hi  Grande  Mademoiselle,  47 
note  ; endeavours  to  dissuade  La 
Valliere  from  taking  the  veil,  106; 
the  richest  heiress  in  Europe,  126  ; 
her  suitors,  126  and  note,  127  and 
note ; her  exploits  during  the 
Fronde,  127  and  note;  conceives 
a grande  passion  for  the  Comte 
de  Lauzun,  128;  their  amusing 
courtship,  133,  134;  " C'cstvous!  " 
134;  persuaded  by  Lauzun  to 
make  a donation  in  his  favour  of 
the  bulk  of  her  property,  134  ; 
obtains  the  King’s  sanction  to  her 
marriage,  135;  “ intoxicated  with 
love,”  135 ; astonishment  and  in- 
dignation aroused  by  her  proposed 
marriage.  135,  136 ; Louis  XIV. 
withdraws  his  permission,  136, 
137;  her  painful  interview  with 
the  King,  137  ; her  despair,  137 
and  note,  138;  inconsolable  at 
the  imprisonment  of  Lauzun  at 


INDEX 


Montpensier,  Mademoiselle  de— con- 
tinued 

Pignerol,  140 ; makes  a conveyance 
of  part  of  her  property  to  the  Due 
du  Maine  in  order  to  obtain  his 
liberation,  141-143  ; present  at 
La  Valliere’s  taking  the  veil,  146; 
her  physician  and  almoner  compro- 
mised in  the  poison  trials,  286  note 
(cited)  47-51,  53,  59, 78,  116,  139 
note 

Monvoisin,  Antoine  (husband  of  La 
Voisin),  238 

Monvoisin,  Catherine,  called  La 
Voisin  (sorceress  and  poisoner) 
her  arrest,  238  ; her  career,  238, 
239 ; La  Fontaine’s  verses  upon 
her,  239,  240  ; her  gorgeous  robes, 
240  ; her  lovers,  240  note  ; her 
confederates,  Lesage  and  the  Abb6 
Guibourg,  240,  241  ; devotes  her- 
self to  traffic  in  poisons,  241  and 
note  ; assists  Madame  Leffiron  to 
poison  her  husband,  250  ; promises 
to  show  the  Duchesse  de  Bouillon 
Sibyls  and  prophetesses,  254  ; ac- 
cuses Racine  of  having  poisoned 
his  mistress,  the  actress  Du  Parc, 
257-259;  “ quietly  surrenders  her 
soul  to  the  devil,”  260,  261  and 
note;  her  death-warrant,  261  note; 
consulted  by  Madame  de  Monte- 
span,  266  ; advises  her  to  have 
recourse  to  Guibourg  and  the 
“black  mass,”  268;  gives  her 
"love-powders”  to  administer  to 
the  King,  270  ; firmly  convinced 
of  the  efficacy  of  the  charms  which 
she  provides,  272  ; receives  fifty 
louis  d'or  from  Madame  de  Mon- 
tespan,  272;  the  "black  mass” 
said  over  Madame  de  Montespan 
at  her  house,  272  ; and  over  herself, 
272,  273  ; persuaded  by  Madame 
de  Montespan  to  poison  Louis  XIV. 
and  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges, 
275 ; conspires  with  Trianon, 
Romani,  and  Bertrand,  275,  276 ; 
goes  to  Saint-Germain  to  present 
a poisoned  petition  to  the  King, 
277  ; returns  to  Paris  and  is  ar- 
rested, 277 

Monvoisin,  Marguerite  (daughter  of 
La  Voisin) 

disclaims  all  knowledge  of  her 
mother’s  transactions,  until  after 
the  sorceress's  execution,  261  ; 
her  declarations,  by  order  of  the 
King,  withheld  from  the  Chambre 


Monvoisin,  Marguerite  (daughter  of 
La  Voisin) — continued 
Ardente,  262  ; describes  the  com- 
position of  the  "love-powders” 
provided  by  her  mother  for  the 
King,  271  ; her  evidence  of  Aug.  13, 
1680,  275 ; given  the  poisoned 
petition  to  burn,  277  ; confronted 
with  Mademoiselle  Des  GSillets  at 
Vincennes,  281  ; condemned  to 
perpetual  imprisonment,  289 
Moret,  Comtesse  de  (mistress  of 
Henri  IV.),  22  note 
Morison,  Mr.  J.  Cotter  (cited),  86,  87 
Mortemart,  Due  de  (father  of  Madame 
de  Montespan),  37,  41,  125 
Mortemart,  Duchesse  de  (mother  of 
Madame  de  Montespan),  37,  38 
Mortemart,  Family  of,  37  note,  334 
and  note 

Motteville,  Madame  de  ; (cited)  4,  5, 
6,  9,  12  note,  15,  24,  28 

Nantes,  Mademoiselle  de 

second  daughter  of  Louis  XIV. 
and  Madame  de  Montespan,  68 
note  ; her  birth,  93  ; entrusted  to 
the  care  of  Madame  Scarron,  98  ; 
legitimated,  100 ; her  baptism,  100 
note  ; brought  to  Court,  102 ; 
Madame  de  Caylus’s  remark  con- 
cerning her,  164,  165;  “admired 
by  every  one,”  196 ; accompanies 
her  mother  and  the  Court  to 
Lorraine,  199  note ; allowance 
made  to  Madame  de  Montespan 
for  her  maintenance,  204  note ; 
marries  the  Due  de  Bourbon,  318, 
319;  falls  ill  with  small-pox,  320, 
321  and  note;  much  attached  to 
her  mother,  322  ; not  an  exemplary 
wife)  337  i grieves  for  Madame  de 
Montespan’s  death,  360 
Nanteuil,  Mademoiselle  de,  187 
Napoleon  I.,  Emperor,  178  and  note 
Nass,  Dr.  Lucien  (cited),  239  note, 
241  note,  248  note 

Navailles,  Duchesse  de  {dame  d'hon- 
neur  to  the  Queen),  32,  116  note 
Neuburg,  Duke  of,  127  and  note 
Nevers,  Due  de 
Nevers,  Duchesse  de 
Noailles,  Cardinal  de,  Archbishop  of 
Paris,  310,  341  and  note 
Noailles,  Duchesse  de 

one  of  Madame  de  Montespan’s 
most  intimate  friends,  117  note; 
Madame  de  Montespan’s  letters 
to  her,  159,  282  note,  339-343 


INDEX 


Noailles,  Marshal  de 

Madame  de  Montespan’s  train- 
bearer,  1 17;  saves  Louis  XIV. 's 
life  at  the  siege  of  Valenciennes 
in  1674,  1 17  note  ; accused  by  the 
Princess  Palatine  of  being  the 
father  of  Mademoiselle  de  Tours, 
x 17  note ; Madame  de  Montespan’s 
letter  to  him,  224 ; present,  on 
behalf  of  the  King,  at  the  death 
of  Mademoiselle  deFontanges,  292  ; 
Louis  XIV. ’s  letter  to  him  on  this 
matter,  292,  293 ; endeavours  to 
prevent  an  autopsy  being  held, 
293 

Noirmoutier,  Marquis  de,  41 
Novion  (First  President  of  the  Par- 
liament of  Paris),  71,  72 

GL uvres  diverses  d'un  auteur  de  sept  ans, 
220  and  note 

Oiron,  Chateau  of,  337  and  note,  356 
Oiron,  Hospice  of,  214,  352-354 
Ord,  Mademoiselle  d’,  302,  303 
Orleans,  Anne  Marie  Louise  d’  (la 
Grande  Mademoiselle ) : see  Mont- 

pensier,  Mademoiselle  de 
Orleans,  Charlotte  Elizabeth,  Princess 
Palatine,  Duchesse  d‘ 
bitterly  hostile  to  Madame  de 
Maintenon,  86  note;  present  at 
La  Valliere’s  taking  the  veil,  146  ; 
believes  Mademoiselle  de  Fon- 
tanges  to  have  been  poisoned, 
293  ; her  extraordinary  behaviour 
on  the  occasion  of  the  betrothal 
of  her  son,  the  Due  de  Chartres, 
to  Mademoiselle  de  Blois,  227  note 
(cited)  28,  57  note,  58,  77,  86 
note,  1 17  note,  209 

Orleans,  Gaston,  Due  d’  (uncle  of 
Louis  XIV.),  19  note,  127  note 
Orldans,  Henrietta  Anne,  of  England, 
Duchesse  d’ 

her  marriage  with  Monsieur,  24, 
25  ; her  portrait  by  Madame  de 
La  Fayette,  25 ; her  popularity, 
25  ; her  intimacy  with  Louis  XIV. 
arouses  the  jealousy  of  Monsieur 
and  the  Queen,  25,  26 ; advises 
the  King  to  simulate  a passion  for 
Louise  de  La  Valliere,  26,  27  ; her 
relationswith  the ComtedeGuiche, 
29;  her  opinion  of  Louis  XIV., 
197 

Orldans,  Marie  Louise,  Queen  of  Spain 
(daughter  of  Monsieur  and  Hen- 
rietta of  England),  146,  257  and 
note 


Orldans,  Philippe,  Due  d’  ( Monsieur ) 
brother  of  Louis  XIV.,  19  and 
note ; marries  Henrietta  of  Eng- 
land, 25  ; his  character,  25  and 
note ; complains  to  Anne  of  Austria 
of  his  wife's  intimacy  with  the 
King,  26  ; strongly  opposed  to  the 
marriage  of  Lauzun  and  la  Grande 
Mademoiselle,  136  ; present  at  La 
Valliere’s  taking  the  veil,  146  ; 
plays  hoca  with  Madame  de  Mon- 
tespan at  Saint-Cloud,  159  ; his 
losses  at  play  paid  by  the  King, 
21 1 ; gives  a magnificent  New 
Year’s  present  to  Madame  de 
Montespan,  219,  220;  present  at 
Louis  XIV. ’s  interviews  with 
Madame  de  Montespan  at  Easter 
1679,  223 

Palatine,  Anne  de  Gonzague,  Prin- 
cess, 20 

Palatine,  Charlotte  Elizabeth,  Prin- 
cess : see  Orldans,  Charlotte  Eliza- 
beth, Duchesse  d’ 

Pauthe,  Abbd,  (cited)  109 
Pellisson,  215  ; (cited)  159 
Perkins,  Mr.  J.  B. ; (cited)  16  note 
Perrault,  Charles  (cited),  2 note 
Perrin,  Abbd,  217,  218 
Perrin,  Maitre,  237,  238 
Petit-Bourg,  Chateau  of,  337 
Philbert  (flutist),  245,  246 
Philbert,  Madame,  her  trial  before 
the  Chambre  Ardente,  245,  246 
Philip  IV.,  King  of  Spain,  8,  9,  19,  31 
Picart,  Etienne  (engraver),  67,  68 
Pirot,  Abbd,  146 
Polignac,  Comtesse  de,  251 
Pompadour,  Madame  de,  204 
Poulaillon,  de,  247,  248 
Poulaillon,  Madame  de,  her  trial 
before  the  Chambre  Ardente,  246- 
248 

Prade,  de,  250,  251 

Question,  the,  244  note 
Quinault  (poet),  179  note,  217,  218 

Racine,  Jean  (poet) 

introduced  by  Madame  de  Monte- 
span into  the  immediate  entourage 
of  Louis  XIV.,  215  ; appointed 
Royal  Historiographer,  in  con- 
junction with  Boileau,  215;  reads 
fragments  of  his  contemporary 
history  to  the  King  and  Madame 
de  Montespan,  215,  216  ; his  out- 
rageous flattery  of  Louis  XIV., 


INDEX 


Racine,  Jean  (poet) — continued 

216 ; his  ingratitude  towards 
Madame  de  Montespan,  218  and 
note ; writes  a dedication  to 
Madame  de  Montespan  for  Oeuvres 
diverses  d'un  auteur  de  sept  ans,  220 
note ; accused  by  La  Voisin  of 
having  poisoned  his  mistress,  the 
actress  Du  Parc,  257-259 ; writes 
an  eloge  of  the  King  for  a book 
presented  by  Madame  de  Monte- 
span to  Louis  XIV.,  314,  315 
Raisin, Mademoiselle  (actress),  149  note 
Rambouillet,  Hotel  de,  61,  347 
Ravaisson,  M.,  285  note,  291 

(cited)  239  note,  240  note,  266 
note,  279,  281  note,  287 
R^benac,  Comte  de  (cited),  210 
Reflexions  sur  la  misiricorde  de  Dieu, 
Louise  de  La  Valliere’s,  109  note 
Reuilly,  Comtesse  de,  207 
Richelieu,  Due  de,  249 
Richelieu,  Duchesse  de(dawed'hoinieur 
to  the  Queen) 

brings  about  a rapprochement  be- 
tween the  Queen  and  Madame  de 
Montespan,  160  note  ; receives 
“kind  and  affectionate  letters” 
from  the  King,  160  note  ; enter- 
tains Madame  de  Maintenon  to 
supper,  179;  Madame  de  Dreux 
seeks  to  put  an  end  to  her  by 
sorcery,  249 

Rochechouart,  Family  of,  37  note 
Rochechouart-Morteinart , F rangoise 
Athenais:  see  Montespan, Madame  de 
Rochechouart  - Mortemart,  Gabrielle 
Victoire,  345  and  note 
Rochechouart  - Mortemart,  Marie 
Madeleine  Gabrielle,  Abbess  of 
Fontevrault 

youngest  sister  of  Madame  de 
Montespan,  38  note ; appointed 
Abbess  of  Fontevrault,  125  and 
note ; her  society  Madame  de 
Montespan's  chief  consolation 
after  her  retirement  from  Court, 
331 ; serious chargebroughtagainst 
her  by  Madame  de  Sevigne,  331 
note  ; her  amiable  character  and 
accomplishments,  332  and  note; 
Saint-Simon’s  high  opinion  of  her, 

332 ; greatly  esteemed  by  the  ! 
King,  333  ; does  not  take  excep- 
tion to  her  sister’s  relations  with 
Louis  XIV.,  333 ; her  convent 
“most  holy  and  most  beautiful.” 
340,  341 ; declines  the  offer  of  the 
Abbey  of  Montmartre  from  con- 

382 


Rochechouart  - Mortemart,  Marie 
Madeleine  Gabrielle,  Abbess  of 
Fontevrault — continued 
scientious  motives,  341  ; highly 
spoken  of  by  Daniel  Huet  in  his 
Mimoires,  350  ; her  death,  354 
Rochefort,  Mar^chalede,  184, 191  note 
Rochefort-Thdobon,  Mademoiselle  de 
185 

Romani  (poisoner) 

his  interrogatory,  262  ; his  depo- 
sitions, by  the  King’s  orders,  with- 
held from  the  Chambre  Ardente, 
262  ; called  into  consultation  by 
La  Voisin  and  Trianon,  275  ; “a 
very  shrewd,  crafty,  determined 
person,”  275  ; undertakes,  in 
conjunction  with  Bertrand,  the 
poisoning  of  Mademoiselle  de 
Fontanges,  276 ; goes  to  Saint- 
Germain  with  La  Voisin,  277; 
condemned  to  perpetual  imprison- 
ment, 288 

Roure,  Comtesse  du,  251 

Saint-Cyr,  Convent  of,  218  note,  329 
note 

Saint-Evremond,  10,  86  note 
Saint-Mars  (governor  of  Pignerol), 
139,  140 

Saint-Pouange  : see  Colbert  de  Saint- 
Pouange 

Saint-Rdmi,  Madame  de  (mother  of 
Louise  de  La  Valliere),  27  note, 
105,  112 

Saint-R£mi,  Marquis  de,  27  note 
Saint-Simon,  Due  de,  43,  177  note 
(cited)  40,  86  note,  128  note,  132 
note,  138,  139,  149,  257,  302, 
308  note,  325  note,  337,  339, 
354.  355.  357.  358  note 
Sainte-Beuve  ; (cited)  27,  338,  357 
Scarron,  Madame : see  Maintenon, 
Madame  de 

Scarron,  Paul  (first  husband  of 
Madame  de  Maintenon),  89,  90, 
91,  308 

Scuddry,  Madame  de,  146,  155,  164, 
224;  (cited)  81,  91, 153, 154,225,233 
Seignelay,  Marquis  de,  207 
Sevigne,  Madame  de,  40,  94,  164,  178 
and  note,  336 

(cited)  34  and  note,  67,  97,  101, 
no,  115,  116,  118,122,  135,  137, 
159,  178  and  note,  179,  181,  182, 
183,  184,  185,  186,  189,  207-209, 
226,  228,  230,  231,  233  and  note, 
253,  255,  256  note,  296,  297,  298, 
331  note 


n 


INDEX 


S£vign£,  Marquis  de.  187 
Sforza,  Duchess,  183  and  note,  334, 
335 

Sforza,  Duke,  183  note,  335 
Soissons,  Comte  de,  4,  256 
Soissons,  Comtesse  de 

first  enchantress  of  Louis  XIV.,  4 ; 
marries  the  Comte  de  Soissons,  4 ; 
bitterly  jealous  of  Louise  de  La 
Valliere,  30  ; intrigues  against  her 
with  the  Marquis  de  Vardes  and 
the  Comte  de  Guiche,  30,  31  ; and 
with  Mademoiselle  de  La  Motte- 
Houdancourt,  31-33  ; ordered  to 
retire  from  Court,  33 ; goes  with 
Madame  de  Montespan  to  visit 
the  King  at  Oudenarde,  201  ; the 
King  gives  a vessel  to  operate  as 
a privateer  for  her  and  Madame 
de  Montespan,  205  ; gains  at  play, 
210;  surrenders  her  post  of  Super- 
intendent of  the  Queen’s  House- 
hold in  favour  of  Madame  de 
Montespan, 223,  224;  gravely  com- 
promised in  V Affaire  des  Poisons. 
255,  256  ; escapes  to  Flanders, 
256 ; her  adventures  there,  256 
and  note;  accused  by  Saint-Simon 
of  having  poisoned  the  Queen  of 
Spain,  257  ; her  last  years,  257 
Soubise,  Prince  de,  184 
Soubise,  Princesse  de 

mistress  of  the  King,  184 ; her  ! 
avarice,  184  ; her  intrigue  with 
the  King  never  more  than  sus- 
pected, 184,  185 
Sourches,  Marquis  de,  325 
(cited)  201,  318,  324 

Tamboneau,  38  note 
Tarneau,  Mademoiselle  de,  6 
Termes,  Marquis  de,  277 
Testu,  Abbe 

sups  with  Madame  de  S6vign6  and 
Madame  Scarron,  97  ; his  opinion 
of  Madame  de  Montespan  and  her 
sisters,  214  ; accused  by  Madame 
de  S6vign<>  of  being  the  lover  of 
the  Abbess  of  Fontevrault,  332 
Thianges,  Madame  de 

eldest  sister  of  Madame  de  Monte- 
span, 38  note;  “the  very  pink 
of  modish  devotion,”  in  ; receives 
a pension  and  a gratification  from 
the  King,  125 ; Mariette  and 
Lesage  perform  sorceries  in  her 
apartments  at  Saint  - Germain, 
266,  267  ; accompanies  the  King 
from  Saint-Germain  to  Versailles, 


Thianges,  Madame  de — continued 
232  ; her  beauty  celebrated  by  La 
Fontaine,  334  ; “ folle  on  two 
points,”  334  and  note  ; kindness  of 
Louis  XIV.  to  her,  334  ; her 
daughters,  the  Duchesse  de  Nevers 
and  the  Duchess  Sforza,  334,  335  _ 
Tingry,  Princesse  de,  251 
Tonnay-Charente,  Mademoiselle  : see 
Montespan,  Madame  de 
Toulouse,  Comte  de 

youngest  son  of  Louis  XIV.  and 
Madame  de  Montespan,  68  ; 
Madame  de  Maintenon  declines 
to  undertake  the  care  of  him,  188 
note;  his  birth,  201  ; legitimated, 
201  ; much  attached  to  his  mother, 
317;  taken  by  the  King  to  the 
army,  324  ; sets  out  for  Bourbon 
on  learning  of  Madame  de  Monte- 
span’s  illness,  358  ; grieves  for  her 
death,  360 

Tours,  Mademoiselle  de 

third  daughter  of  Louis  XIV.  and 
Madame  de  Montespan,  68  note  ; 
dies  at  Bourbon,  143 ; her  mother’s 
grief,  195,  196 

Trianon,  La  (sorceress  and  poisoner) 
La  Voisin’s  partner,  275  ; takes 
part  in  the  plot  against  the  King 
and  Mademoiselle  de  Fontanges 
with  much  reluctance,  275  ; casts 
La  Voisin's  horoscope,  275  note  ; 
kills  herself  in  prison,  289 
Trichateau,  Marquis  de,  225,  230 
(cited)  210,  223,  230 
Turenne,  125  note,  252 

Uzics,  Due  d’,  319  note 
UziSs,  Duchesse  d’,  149 
Uzes,  Mademoiselle  d’,  319  and  note 

Vanens,  Louis  de  (alchemist) 

his  arrest,  237  ; believed  to  have 
assisted  in  poisoning  the  Duke  of 
Savoy,  238  and  note  ; and  to  have 
advised  Madame  de  Montespan  to 
consult  the  sorceresses,  265,  266 
dies  in  prison,  289 

Vardes,  Marquis  de,  22  and  note,  30 
3F  33 

Vauban,  310 

Vendome,  Chevalier  de,  187,  335 
Venddme,  Due  de,  253 
Venel,  Madame  de  ( gouvernanteof  Man- 
cini),  11,  15 

Ventadour,  Marquis  de,  207 
j Verneuil,  Madame  (mistress  of 
| Henri  IV.),  36  note 


INDEX 


Vexin,  Comte  de 

second  son  of  Louis  XIV.  and 
Madame  de  Montespan,  68  note; 
entrusted  to  the  care  of  Madame 
Scarron,  93  ; legitimated,  100 ; 
brought  to  Court,  103  ; made 
Abbot  of  Saint-Denis  and  Saint- 
Germain-des-Pres,  125  ; his  early 
death,  126 

Vigoureux,  La  (sorceress  and 
poisoner) 

her  dinner-party  in  the  Rue 
Courtauvilain,  237  ; arrested,  238  ; 
dies  under  torture,  254  note  ; sup- 
plies the  Duchesse  de  Bouillon 
with  poison  to  administer  to  her 
husband,  255 

Villacerf : see  Colbert  de  Villacerf 


Villarceaux,  Marquis  de  (reputed 
lover  of  Madame  Scarron),  22,  23 
and  note,  86  and  note 
Villeroi,  Due  de,  2 
Vivonne,  Due  de  (brother  of  Madame 
de  Montespan) 

made  marshal  de  France  through 
his  sister’s  influence,  125  and  note; 
one  of  Madame  de  Ludres’s  con- 
quests, 187  ; his  son  married  to 
Colbert’s  daughter,  283  and  note  ; 
his  death,  335  ; anecdotes  about 
him,  335,  336  ; his  children,  336 
Vivonne,  Duchesse  de,  285  note,  297, 
336 

Voisin,  La;  see  Monvoisin,  Catherine 
Voltaire  ; (cited)  7 note,  240  note,  253, 
255 


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